The Spirit Within
by Kira2667
Summary: A fierce group of half-breeds has settled in Clan territory and threatened to kill everyone. They're angry because they were exiled merely because their parents weren't the same breed. The only hope is tiny Swiftpaw, whose heritage may surprise you.
1. Prologue

AN- This is basically my own Warriors story, but with dogs. I'll try to update as much as possible, and though I may have some rather long periods between updates, which I hope won't happen, I will eventually finish this story, because I really hate it when people don't finish their stories and just leave them hanging with no ending.

Summary- ThunderClan is in trouble, a fierce group of half-breeds has settled in its territory. They're angry because the Clans exhiled them merely because their parents weren't the same breed. They've threatened to kill everyone- warrior and elder, queen and apprentice alike- one by one. The only hope is a small pup named Swiftpup, whose heritage may surprise you.

Disclaimer- The only things I own are the characters and the plot, I don't own anything having to do with the real Warriors series.

Prologue

A large gray Irish wolfhound sat in the middle of a clearing watching two mastiffs carry in the limp form of an Irish setter. It didn't seem to notice as another red Irish setter padded up to sit beside it.

"What happened to him Spiritstar?" The setter, Burningpelt, asked.

"They were attacked by the half-breeds while they were on the moon-high patrol. Yellowfur, Diamondstorm, and Redpaw are lucky to be alive." The wolfhound, Spiritstar, said.

Burningpelt's eyes glazed over as she stared at the limp form that her Clan mates were now gathering around. "Father…" she whispered "I must tell mother about him."

"Redpaw has already gone to tell Sunstripe." Spiritstar replied, stopping her with her tail. They suddenly heard a cry from the direction of the warriors' den and a sandy tan Irish setter with dark red stripes burst from the entrance. Another Irish setter followed her more slowly, his eyes glazed with grief. The first one, Sunstripe, ran up to the limp form of her mate and thrust her nose into his bright red fur.

A long silence followed, only broken by Sunstripe's cries of grief.

"Burningpelt, have you heard anything from StarClan?" Spiritstar asked softly.

"No Spiritstar, I haven't as of yet." Burningpelt answered. She looked up into the sky and suddenly got a faraway look in her eyes. Noticing this, Spiritstar looked at her expectantly.

A moment passed, and Burningpelt began to speak, "Heritage is against her, as is the Clan, but one of our enemies becomes our friend, and is the one to save us all." Then the look faded from her eyes, and both Burningpelt and Spiritstar lapsed into thoughtful silence.

Finally, Spiritstar asked, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know." Burningpelt answered, staring up into the stars, "I truly don't know."

OOOoooOOO

Swiftpup was running as fast as she could through the undergrowth away from the pack of five or six large dogs that chased her. 'I don't understand, why are they chasing me? I didn't do anything!' she thought desperately, 'I'm scared! Mother, Father, Help Me!'

Pausing under a large hazel bush, she tried to catch her breath, all the while wracking her brain to try to think of something she did wrong. She was startled out of her thoughts by the steady thumping of paws that told her that her pursuers were once again getting closer. She rocketed out of the hazel bush and ran as fast as her legs could carry her until she came to a bramble bush and was just barely able to squeeze into the very center of the protective vines.

Exhausted, she crouched panting heavily and straining her ears for the smallest sign that her pursuers had caught her. But soon, she gave in to exhaustion and fell into unconsciousness. Little did she know what was lurking mere tail lengths away from her hiding spot.

AN- OK, so that's the prologue, I know its short but I hope you like it! I just need one favor (2 actually) the first is to review, because this is my first Warriors story and my first chapter story and I need to know how I'm doing.

The second one is that I need some characters for the other Clans, I have plenty for ThunderClan, but none for the others at the Gathering that will be coming up in a few chapters. Just tell me name, rank, a short description, and what Clan they're in. Thanks a million!!!! Now go on and click that pretty little purple button and _**Review Please!!!!!!**_


	2. First Meeting

A/N- yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, another short chapter. Blah, blah, blah. I'll try to make them longer. Anyway, enough babbling. ON TO THE FIC!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer- yes, I am three separate adult women known as Erin Hunter, the author of _Warriors_. That's why I'm writing this story that I'm posting on the internet instead of working on the next book (because that makes SOOOOO much sense.)

Chapter One- First Meeting

Burningpelt was wandering through the undergrowth looking for marigold, when she heard a rustling noise coming from her left. She quickly retreated back into the shadows of an oak tree seconds before a very small dog came bursting out and forced its way into a thick bramble bush. It sat rigid for a minute, as if it were waiting for something, and then collapsed onto its side, unconscious.

After waiting for a few more seconds, Burningpelt padded up and forced her way roughly into the brambles until she was able to grasp the pup by its scruff. Hauling it out into the moonlit clearing, she realized that it was a very small female pup- 2 or 3 moons she thought- whose pelt was turned to silver in the moonlight. She was very leggy; they looked almost too long for her body, and very slim, though she didn't seem underfed.

After giving her a quick once-over to look for any immediate injuries, Burningpelt picked the pup up carefully by the scruff and started carrying her towards the ThunderClan camp.

OOOoooOOO

Spiritstar was pacing around her den, once again pondering the strange prophecy StarClan had sent Burningpelt two days earlier. Realizing that she was getting nowhere, Spiritstar padded out into the camp just in time to see Burningpelt's long, feathery tail disappearing into the medicine dog clearing. She followed her, intent on asking her if she'd figured anything out, only to find her bent over a small nest, inside of which a tiny golden furred pup was curled into a tight ball.

Straightening up, Burningpelt stated, "I found her in the forest unconscious, I couldn't leave her."

Padding up to sit next to her, Spiritstar said, "Tell me when she wakes up, I want to find out where she came from, then I'll tell the Clan." She then left Burningpelt nodding her consent and returned to her den for a fitful night of sleep.

A/N- okay, I know another really short chapter. I think the next one will be longer. I'm trying to update every weekend. Other than reviewing and telling me dogs, I need one more favor. I have the three other leaders, but I decided to let you guys be the ones to decide which Clan they lead. Here they are:

Twilightstar- dark brown female German shepherd with white chest and muzzle and very dark blue eyes

Lionstar- light ginger male Irish setter with golden brown eyes

Emeraldstar- black female mastiff with white paws and tail-tip and emerald green eyes


	3. Negative Reaction

A/N- YAY!!!! OVER TWO PAGES IN MICROSOFT WORD!!!! I'm so proud of myself!!!! Anyway, soooo… here's the third chapter. I guess.

Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!!!!!!! (except the REAL Swiftpup. She's my puppy. I love her. Anyway…)

Chapter 2- Negative Reaction

Swiftpup slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling dazed, 'Where am I?' she thought tiredly. The last thing she could remember was squeezing herself into a prickly bramble bush, not the soft nest of moss and leaves that that she was in now. She saw a large red animal padding toward her and her first thought was that a fox had captured her, until she blinked a few more times and realized it was not an evil beast, but a beautiful red Irish setter padding toward her.

"Glad your awake." the Irish setter said gently.

"Wh-who are you?" Swiftpup stuttered.

"My name is Burningpelt, I'm the medicine dog of ThunderClan, and you're in the camp."

"ThunderClan…" Swiftpup murmured. She knew that name from somewhere. Then it struck her, "My mother mentioned that name!" she exclaimed.

She could see that Burningpelt was surprised when she said that, but she hid it quickly and asked, "Would you mind coming with me to see our leader?"

Cocking her head to one side, Swiftpup agreed and followed Burningpelt to a den that stood in the shadow of a massive rock that stretched at least three tail-lengths over her head. She gazed wondrously up at it until Burningpelt turned and called, "Come along, Spiritstar will be waiting." She then turned and padded through a curtain of lichen into a cool, shady den with a sandy floor.

At the back of the den, a large gray Irish wolfhound lay stretched out grooming herself. Swiftpup assumed that this was Spiritstar, the leader Burningpelt had spoken of. The wolfhound looked up and said in a rough, yet kind voice, "Greetings, I am Spiritstar, leader of ThunderClan. Burningpelt said she found you in the forest last night. May I ask who you are and where you came from?"

"M-my name is Swiftpup, I was born at a camp a little way away from the Twolegplace."

At her words, Spiritstar snapped her head to face her and said sharply "The _half-breed_ camp?"

The look in her cloudy blue eyes frightened Swiftpup, and she nodded, bewildered. She noticed Spiritstar and Burningpelt exchange grim looks and began to ask why but was cut off by Burningpelt asking "How old are you?"

Forgetting the look, Swiftpup stated proudly "Five moons." shocking both of them.

Spiritstar recovered after a few seconds and sputtered, "B-but you don't look more than three moons old! You're so small!" Swiftpup didn't understand why they were so shocked, she _was _the runt of the litter, but they weren't _that_ much bigger.

"But what are you doing out of the nursery?" Burningpelt asked, confused.

Swiftpup's eyes clouded with sadness and confusion and she said mournfully, "I-I'm not sure what happened. I was lying with my mother and siblings when suddenly I was dragged away and attacked. I managed to get away and I was just running and running. Then I collapsed and woke up here."

Burningpelt and Spiritstar stared at her in disbelief. What had this poor little pup done to make her Clan drive her out? That was even too cruel for the half-breeds to do.

"Come with me," Spiritstar murmured, "I'll introduce you to the Clan." and she padded out into the sunshine.

Leaping up onto the large rock next to the den, Spiritstar howled, "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

At this, more dogs than Swiftpup had ever seen began to emerge from the dens surrounding the clearing. When they had all gathered, some giving her questioning or suspicious stares, Spiritstar began, "Last night Burningpelt was out collecting herbs when she came across this young pup. We have decided to welcome her into the Clan."

In the uproar that followed, Swiftpup heard cries of, "But we already have enough problems!" and, "But _look_ at her, she's puny and all legs, she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight."

But the one that rang out above them all came from a dark brindle mastiff. He padded over to her, took one sniff and proclaimed, "She smells like a filthy half-breed! It's obvious that's what she is. They've sent her to spy on us!"

This silenced them all.

Swiftpup crouched, terrified, under the mastiff's cold gaze. She didn't understand what the big deal was, did she do something wrong?

Many of the dogs were staring accusingly up at Spiritstar, who took a deep breath and said calmly "It is true that she is a half-breed, but she is not a spy. She was driven from their camp for no reason at all, and we shall not turn her away. What kind of Clan would we be if we left defenseless pups to fend for themselves?"

Her speech seemed to satisfy some dogs, but most were still glaring at her, and they bared their fangs at Swiftpup as they passed on the way to their dens.

As the crowd thinned, Swiftpup spotted Burningpelt coming toward her, followed by a tawny colored German shepherd.

When she reached her, Burningpelt said, "Swiftpup, this is Owlfeather, she'll take care of you until you're six moons old and become an apprentice along with her own daughter, Leafpup."

Swiftpup nodded hesitantly, wondering if Owlfeather didn't like her, but the German shepherd licked her ear and gazed at her in a motherly fashion. She then led Swiftpup to the nursery.

A/N- I'm proud of myself. Two chapters in one night! I'm on a roll!!!!! Anyway, review, vote, give me dogs, etc., etc., etc….


	4. Moonhigh Meetings

A/N- okay guys this is seriously getting old. I CAN see how many hits my story gets, and it confuses me that I have 58 hits but only 3 reviews. And no repeat reviewers, just three on the first chapter. I understand if you hate the fic, but can you at least tell me what I did wrong in a review? Then we can both go on our merry way.

Disclaimer- no, I don't freaking own Warriors, if you think I do, you're an idiot.

Chapter 3- Moonhigh Meetings

Swiftpup curled up between her foster mother and sister in the nursery, feeling happier and safer than she'd ever been. She heaved a content sigh and allowed her eyes to close slowly as she entered the world of dreams.

Swiftpup shivered, she was so cold. She opened her eyes to find herself in a small clearing. Two dogs sat facing her a few tail-lengths away.

"Greetings Swiftpup," said the one on the right, a pretty silver and black mastiff with red eyes, "we've been waiting for you."

Swiftpup stared, transfixed, for a few moments before she managed to stutter "Wh-who are you?"

This time the dog on her left, a fiery red Irish setter with steely gray eyes, answered, "I am Burningheart, the deputy of ThunderClan before Darkclaw, and this is Silverflame, the medicine dog before Burningpelt. We've come to tell you something."

Did they mean a prophecy? For her? "Shouldn't you be talking to Spiritstar or Burningpelt? I'm just a pup."

"No Swiftpup, this message is for you." Burningheart said gravely.

At this time, Silverflame spoke in a far-off voice, her eyes distant, "Heritage is against her, as is the Clan, but one of our enemies becomes our friend, and is the one to save us all." When she finished, she sat for a moment with her eyes closed and her head bowed.

Swiftpup's mind was reeling. What did it all mean? She closed her eyes for a few moments, and when she opened them, Burningheart and Silverflame were gone. Swiftpup whipped around, straining her eyes for a hint of red or silver, but all she could see was the pitch black woods.

Then she spotted them: a set of eyes, cold as leaf-bare ice, yet fierce as a Greenleaf storm, and burning with such loathing it shocked her very core. She had to get away, had to hide from those eyes, so she turned and ran. It was no use, more sets of eyes appeared, following her.

She heard a faint voice, "Remember…" it echoed. It was Burningheart!

"Where are you? Help me!" Swiftpup howled, but he gave no answer.

His voice, joined by Silverflame, simply chanted, "Remember… Remember…" over and over again.

Swiftpup just kept running faster until she eventually collapsed and was swallowed by darkness.

Swiftpup sprang up, her heart hammering in her chest. She whirled around, panting, until her dream faded and the soft murmuring and even breathing of the queens and pups surrounded and warmed her like her mother's fur. Sighing, Swiftpup curled up again and attempted to get to sleep. It was no use, the few stars she could see out the entrance of the nursery seemed to be calling her, begging her to join them out in the night air.

Finally succumbing to their call, Swiftpup stood and padded nimbly out of the nursery. Once outside, she wandered around the camp, not really going anywhere. She was passing Spiritstar's den when she heard dogs speaking.

"Do you really think it means her?" That was Burningpelt.

Swiftpup began to back away, not wanting to eavesdrop when she heard Spiritstar say, "Well the Clan certainly showed that they were against her today, but how can such a little pup save us?"

"And from what?" Burningpelt continued, "The other Clans are always a threat, and the only other enemy we have are the half-breeds…"

After a moment of silence, Spiritstar said "Do you think…"

"Possibly." Burningpelt interrupted her, "But for now we'll just have to wait, and watch."

Swiftpup then heard a rustling inside the den and sped back to the nursery before she could be discovered, more confused than ever.

A/N- another short one, I know. I hope it was good anyway. You know how I can know if it was good? If you REVIEW!!! Please just at least tell me how I'm doing with the story, you don't HAVE to do any of the other stuff if you don't want to (but the other stuff would make me happy too.)


	5. Pup to Paw

A/N- Thank you Griffinfeather for reviewing. (If you other people review, I'll thank you too. So review! Hehe that rhymed.) Hope you're contented with two pages in Microsoft Word, cus that's what I'm givin' you.

YAY WINTER BREAK!!!! I usually update on weekends, but this is my first day of break and I felt like celebrating. YAY!!!

Disclaimer- This is pointless. We all know that I am the great Erin Hunter, and not a wannabe fourteen year old who wishes she could own Warriors (duh).

Chapter 4- Pup to Paw

Swiftpup was creeping through the ferns, placing her tiny paws carefully on the ground. She finally caught sight of her prey, a small hare, nibbling on some grass. After pausing to gather her legs under her, she leaped.

A split second before her claws came into contact with the hare, she was awoken by someone jumping on top of her.

"Wake up sleepyhead!" Leafpup cried joyously "It's our apprentice ceremony today!"

The hyperactive German shepherd was bouncing around the nursery waking everyone with her cries. She only stopped after getting cuffed over the head by Sunstripe, the newest queen.

Shaking herself awake, Swiftpup felt a thrill of excitement surge through her. In the moon she'd been with the Clan, she'd seen Jewelpool become a warrior and her mentor, Sunstripe, become a queen with the deceased Foxfur's pups.

Just last week Beechpaw and Beetlepaw had become apprentices, and now it was her turn! She would be Swiftpaw, apprenticed to…who? Hardly anyone in the Clan liked her at all, something needed for an apprentice and mentor.

She didn't have much time to dwell on this before Owlfeather came bustling in and began furiously grooming her for the ceremony.

OOOoooOOO

Spiritstar lay in her den, her eyes narrowed to slits. She was naming two new apprentices at sunhigh and still didn't have both mentors chosen.

Leafpup was easy enough; a young warrior like Redstorm would be able to keep up with her. But Swiftpup would need someone different. An apprentice needed a mentor who accepted them, so that knocked out half the Clan already.

"Maybe," she trailed off, thinking hard.

Coming to a decision, she said confidently, "Yes, that will do."

OOOoooOOO

The sun was high overhead when Spiritstar padded out of her den and leaped to the top of the Highrock. "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

She watched as her clanmates slowly emerged from their dens. The last to appear were Owlfeather, Leafpup, and Swiftpup.

Swiftpup's golden fur was groomed until it glowed in the sun and her chocolate colored eyes shone with excitement. Spiritstar felt a strange surge of emotion come over her, something she'd never felt before.

It was love, a sort of motherly love that she had for this poor, prejudiced little pup. It pained her to hear the growls and see the glares that were thrown at Swiftpup as she walked through the crowd to the Highrock, though she didn't seem to mind. Flicking her tail for silence, Spiritstar turned to Leafpup and began the ceremony.

"Leafpup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Leafpaw. Redstorm, you will mentor Leafpaw. Though you have been a warrior for less than a moon, you have shown courage and wisdom beyond your age and are ready for your first apprentice."

Warrior and apprentice padded up to each other, looking equally excited. They touched noses and moved to sit off to the side. Spiritstar then turned to the small, golden furred pup on her left and said, smiling, "Swiftpup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Swiftpaw. I shall be your mentor."

Swiftpaw's eyes widened, she knew that being mentored by the leader was a great honor. Shocked and envious faces watched as mentor and apprentice touched noses, most wondering how a half-breed runt could possibly be that lucky.

When the time came for the Clan to chant the names of the new apprentices, Spiritstar felt as though a thorn was lodged in her heart when she heard how much quieter Swiftpaw's name was chanted. Brackenpelt and Owlfeather, the pair's parents, chanted both names the loudest of all.

Spiritstar noticed that many dogs were still staring at Swiftpaw with jealousy in their gazes. Troubled, Spiritstar wondered if she had possibly done more harm than good by taking her as an apprentice. As the meeting broke up, Spiritstar padded over to Swiftpaw, who was talking animatedly with her sister.

Upon reaching them, she said, "You should both go get settled in the apprentices' den. We start training tomorrow."

"Yes Spiritstar." They chirped and trotted off to the apprentices' den side by side.

A/N- I feel kind of bad for Swiftpaw. Just so everyone knows, the dog that was killed in the prologue was Foxfur, Sunstripe's mate. It's so sad that he died right before she found out she had pups.

I know that some of that didn't need to be put in and seemed random, but I'M THE AUTHOR AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Hmm, anyway, just please, please, please review!


	6. Allegiances

A/N- yeah, I know, Allegiances. None of us like 'em, but we all need 'em to know who the heck everyone is. Oh well. That's why I do them the same day as another chapter, so you won't be mad, so don't be mad. I'll probably do them anytime Swiftpaw moves in the Clan or when a lot of things happen and it needs to be straightened out for you.

Disclaimer- oh my god, I actually OWN SOMETHING!!! YAY FOR ME!!! I own all of the dogs/pups listed here. I do not own the idea of Allegiances, ThunderClan, StarClan, leaders, deputies, etc. that is from Warriors.

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader-****Spiritstar- **large gray female Irish wolfhound with cloudy blue eyes

**Apprentice- Swiftpaw**

**Deputy-****Darkclaw-** dark brindle male mastiff

**Apprentice- Beechpaw**

**Medicine Dog****-Burningpelt-** beautiful red female Irish setter

**Warriors-**(males and females without pups)

**Brackenpelt-** bracken colored male German shepherd

**Redstorm-** vibrant red male Irish setter

**Apprentice- Leafpaw**

**Yellowfur-** golden-yellow male mastiff with pale green eyes

**Spottedchest-** jet black female mastiff with one white spot on her chest

**Scarcheek-** large male German shepherd with a long scar running from his mouth to his ear

**Apprentice- Beetlepaw**

**Harshbark-** battle-scarred white male Irish wolfhound

**Longfang-** white male German shepherd with unusually long canines

**Diamondstorm-** black female mastiff with a sprinkle of white spots on her body

**Jewelpool-** beautiful pure white female German shepherd with jewel blue eyes

**Gingerstorm**- ginger female Irish setter with white paws and tail-tip

**Firestream**- dark red male Irish setter with deep orange flecks and bright orange eyes with gold flecks

**Dappleleaf**- light brindle female mastiff

**Braveheart**- dark brown male German shepherd with a black mask and saddle

**Emeraldleaf**- light ginger female Irish setter with emerald green eyes

**Fallenoak**- dark brown male mastiff with white chest and stomach and dark green eyes

**Owlfeather-** tawny colored female German shepherd

**Silentshadow-** pure black female German shepherd with clear blue eyes

**Flamepelt-** bright red female Irish setter

**Apprentices-** (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

**Beechpaw-** tan male Irish setter with white chest and muzzle and sky blue eyes

**Beetlepaw-** male Irish setter with cold, beetle black eyes

**Leafpaw-** sandy brown female German shepherd with leaf green eyes

**Swiftpaw-** very small golden-blond female with long legs and chocolate brown eyes

**Queens-** (females expecting or nursing pups)

**Cedarheart-** gray female Irish wolfhound with white patches

Mate- Harshbark

Pups- Graypup, Rabbitpup

**Whitefeather-** white female mastiff with a cluster of black spots along spine

Mate- Darkclaw

Pups- Dappleleaf, unborn

**Sunstripe-** sandy tan female Irish setter with dark red stripes and golden eyes

Mate- Foxfur

Pups- Burningpelt, Redstorm, Firestream, unborn

**Dreamsong-** light brown female German shepherd with a white chest, muzzle, and paws

Mate- Braveheart

Pups- Hawkpup, Dapplepup

**Elders-** (former warriors and queens, now retired)

**Fleetwhisker-** bad tempered dark smoky gray, almost black male Irish wolfhound

**Smokecloud-** gray (with black flecks) female Irish wolfhound

Mate- Fleetwhisker

Pup- Spiritstar

**Ravenwing-** wise jet black female German shepherd with only one clear blue eye, oldest dog in all the Clans

Mate- unknown (A/N- for now, muahahahaha!)

Pup- Silentshadow

**Pups-**(less than six moons old, in the nursery)

**Graypup-** gray male Irish wolfhound with big white paws

**Rabbitpup-** long haired white female Irish wolfhound

**Hawkpup-** dark brown male German shepherd with lighter brown spots and amber eyes

**Dapplepup-** cream and brown female German shepherd with hazel eyes

**StarClan**

**Wolfstar**- mostly gray male German shepherd with black tail-tip and paws and white sprinkled muzzle

**Silverflame**- pretty silver and black female mastiff with red eyes, she-dog

**Burningheart**- fiery red male Irish setter with steely gray eyes (killed by half-breeds)

**Foxfur- **dark red male Irish setter with one white paw (killed by half-breeds)

A/N- I know I have a lot of Allegiances, but I needed a lot of dogs, cus they still have to be having pups, without inbreeding (that'd be just weird), and without making any half-breeds. Oh well, still need dogs for the other Clans, and the leaders (see Author's Note in _First Meeting_)


	7. Living Up to It

A/N- uhhhh…yeah. Seventh chapter, nothin much to say.

Disclaimer- guys, this is siriusly (teehee. sorry I was just reading Harry Potter fanfics, I couldn't resist.) pointless. I do not, and will never, own Warriors. Now let me cry in peace while you read this chapter.

Chapter 7- Living Up to It

Swiftpaw opened her eyes to the quiet apprentices' den. Though the pre-dawn darkness still hung in the air, she was too excited to sleep. She was still thinking about her apprentice ceremony as she padded outside for a thorough wash.

When she was done, Swiftpaw sat and watched the camp slowly come to life. The dawn patrol bounded out, supervised by Darkclaw. Dreamsong emerged from the nursery with Hawkpup and Dapplepup, whose newly-opened eyes were round with wonder. Jewelpool and Redstorm emerged from the warriors' den and began sharing tongues.

After what seemed like forever, Spiritstar emerged from her den, padded over for an update with Darkclaw, called to Redstorm, and padded over to the apprentices' den.

Swiftpaw raced back inside and prodded Leafpaw to wake her. She merely turned over in her sleep and muttered, "Just a little longer mom."

Shaking her head, Swiftpaw prodded her harder and said, "Wake UP Leafpaw! Redstorm and Spiritstar are waiting!"

This caused her to snap awake and leap out of her nest, "You could have woken me earlier!" She called as she bounded out, leaving Swiftpaw to shake her head and follow.

OOOoooOOO

When both apprentices were ready, Spiritstar explained to them that they'd be learning the territory and other Clans today, and then they'd start hunting and fighting the next day.

Exhilarated, Swiftpaw raced out of camp right next to Spiritstar. She soon found, however, that her speed was far greater than any of the other dogs and her small size allowed her to move through the undergrowth much quicker. She often had to stop and wait for the others to catch up and tell her the way to go.

Swiftpaw finally burst from the trees to find herself a few tail-lengths away from a large river. Between her and the river, a cluster of rocks sat almost begging her to come lay on them. She heeded their call and leapt on top of one, letting the sun soak into her fur and sooth her muscles.

She soon heard a rustling in the bushes and turned to see Spiritstar, Redstorm, and Leafpaw burst out, panting. Swiftpaw leapt off the rock to stand by them and Spiritstar remarked, "I can see why they named you Swiftpaw, you live up to it."

Swiftpaw dipped her head, unsure how to answer. Spiritstar went on, "These are Sunningrocks. RiverClan has battled us many times for control of this spot, but we've never given it to them." she said with a gleam of pride and determination in her eyes.

Swiftpaw padded toward the river and took a deep sniff. A strange mixture of dog, fish, and reeds met her nose. It was so different from the familiar musty odor of ThunderClan that she wrinkled her nose in distaste. She then asked, "That's RiverClan scent, isn't it?"

"Yes Swiftpaw," Spiritstar padded up to sit next to her, "it is."

After that they continued along the border, stopping at the Owl Tree and other landmarks until they came to a giant hollow with four enormous oak trees standing in the center.

"This," Redstorm began proudly, "is Fourtrees, the place where all the Clans meet in peace every full moon. It is also where all four territories come together."

Swiftpaw picked her way a few steps down the slope and felt as though she was that much closer to StarClan. She closed her eyes and thought she saw a flash of fiery red fur. She opened them with a jolt, expecting to see Redstorm somewhere close to her, but he was still seated at the top of the slope with Spiritstar.

Then she felt a warm breath ruffle her ear fur and a voice whispered, "Remember…"

She knew then that her dream was far from over, and the nightmare was just beginning.

A/N- yeah, that part about living up to it (and the title) was stupid. It seemed good when I wrote this. Anyway, you know the deal, I'm happier because I now have more reviews than chapters (and I found out what would have happened in _The Savage Generation_), so keep me happy by reviewing!


	8. Filth

A/N- CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I just woke up at 6 am, so I'm reeeeeeeally hyper! AND IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer- I-ay on't-day wn-oay arriors-way. Et-gay t-iay?

Chapter 8- Filth

Swiftpaw sat with Spiritstar in a small clearing a little way away from camp.

"A mouse will feel your pawsteps unless you…" Spiritstar paused, waiting for Swiftpaw to answer.

"Unless you… step lightly?" Swiftpaw said tentatively.

"Very good." Spiritstar congratulated her, "Now go try, and remember what I told you about your hunting crouch.

Swiftpaw then turned and padded off in search of prey.

OOOoooOOO

Swiftpaw crouched as Spiritstar had shown her with her weight on her haunches and her stomach almost brushing the ground. When she could see the thrush tugging on a plump worm stuck in the frozen ground, she sprang.

Unfortunately, it sensed her coming and began to flap desperately away. Swiftpaw was barely able to dig her claws into its body and cut its cries off with a bite to the neck.

She sat panting as Spiritstar emerged from her hiding spot in a hazel bush and remarked, "That was good for your first try, but try to move a bit quicker so it doesn't have time to sense you."

"Yes Spiritstar." Swiftpaw said obediently, picking up her prey and padding back towards camp next to Spiritstar.

A delicious scent suddenly flooded her nose, causing her to drop her kill and dash off, leaving a bewildered Spiritstar behind.

Out of a cleft in a rock dashed a rabbit even bigger than Swiftpaw herself. It tried in vain to outrun her, but she quickly caught up and killed it with a swift bite to the neck. She began straining to drag it back to Spiritstar but found it too heavy. A rustling in the bushes announced the arrival of Darkclaw's apprentice, Beechpaw.

"Need a hand?" he asked good-naturedly.

As they dragged the rabbit back together, he told her, "I saw you chase this down, it was awesome. I don't think half the warriors could have done it!"

Swiftpaw smiled modestly at the compliment from the older apprentice and mumbled, "Thanks." through the rabbit fur in her mouth.

They finally met back up with Spiritstar, who was walking slowly through the woods towards them. Her eyes lit up when she saw the rabbit being dragged along by the two apprentices and added her congratulations as they turned back to the ThunderClan camp. They parted at the entrance to the gorse tunnel, where Spiritstar went to get an update from the sunhigh patrol and Swiftpaw and Beechpaw were left to carry the rabbit and thrush to the fresh-kill pile.

Firestream noticed them and mistook the kill to be Beechpaw's, "Wow Beechpaw, that's an impressive catch you've got there."

"Oh no, Swiftpaw got both of these, I just helped-" Beechpaw began, only to be interrupted by Darkclaw saying, "Oh don't give the filth credit for something you did Beechpaw. It would never be able to catch anything even half that big. It's worthless."

Both Firestream and Darkclaw nodded for them to carry one, but Swiftpaw felt as though an enemy claw had been jammed into her heart and then back out the other side. The fact that it was her own clanmate, her own deputy, saying those things made the gaping hole even bigger.

She suddenly became aware of Beechpaw staring at her with shock and concern in his eyes. He pressed his side against hers and advised her to get some fresh-kill and go rest in the apprentice den while he took some food to the elders. She nodded numbly and padded off with her tail dragging in the dust.

A/N- sorry, I know it was another reeeally short chapter, but the next one I guarantee is at least 3x as long at this one. And guess what- IT'S THE GATHERING (finally)! YAY!!!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. Gathering

A/N- FIVE PAGES! –does a dance on the table- oh yeah, go me!

Disclaimer- I have to spoon together spare change in order to get a soda from the drink machine, does that sound like I'm a successful author?

Chapter 9- Gathering (finally)

"Darkclaw, Burningpelt, Redstorm, Jewelpool, Diamondstorm, Fallenoak, Owlfeather, Silentshadow, Sunstripe, Beechpaw, Swiftpaw, Fleetwhisker, Smokecloud, Ravenwing, and I will be going to the Gathering tonight. Those dogs need to get some rest." Spiritstar howled and leapt off the Highrock.

Swiftpaw bounded up to Leafpaw, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Congratulations!" Leafpaw exclaimed, "You're going to the Gathering!"

"It's too bad you can't come too." Swiftpaw said sadly.

Leafpaw flicked her tail as though to drive the sadness away and shrugged, "I'll get to go next time."

She then tackled Swiftpaw to the ground and they tumbled around until Jewelpool interrupted them with a laugh, "come on guys, save you strength for tonight." The beautiful white German shepherd said, her bright blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

The apprentices stopped their play fight and shook the dust form their fur. "Yes Jewelpool." They said to their friend mock-seriously.

Jewelpool shook her head slightly and walked off to play with Graypup and Rabbitpup. 'She'll make a good mother.' Swiftpaw couldn't help but think. She then noticed Redstorm staring at Jewelpool with shining eyes. Swiftpaw smiled to herself as she turned and walked into the apprentices' den, not noticing someone staring at her with the same look in their eyes.

OOOoooOOO

Swiftpaw crouched next to Beechpaw as she waited for Spiritstar's signal so they could enter the Gathering. Spiritstar finally flicked her tail and they plunged down the slope to Fourtrees.

A vaguely familiar scent flooded Swiftpaw's scent glands. But there was no mistaking the crisp scent of the moor, rabbits, and harsh winds; WindClan was the only Clan to have arrived.

Swiftpaw and Beechpaw followed Ravenwing, Smokecloud, and Fleetwhisker as they joined a group of WindClan elders to gossip. Another apprentice was already lying next to them, looking bored.

He perked up slightly when he saw them, "Hey. We were wondering when another Clan was going to arrive." The dark brown and black shepherd said off-handedly, "I'm Gorsepaw."

"I'm Swiftpaw, and this is Beechpaw." Swiftpaw replied, while Beechpaw merely dipped his head in acknowledgement.

She noticed Gorsepaw staring at her for a moment with a slightly puzzled look on his face and knew he was wondering if she was really an apprentice since she was so small. Everyone she met seemed to think that and Swiftpaw was getting sick of it.

Casting her eyes around the clearing for a different topic, she noticed that Spiritstar had settled next to a light ginger male Irish setter with golden brown eyes in the shadow of the Great Rock.

Tilting her head slightly towards Gorsepaw she asked, "Is that your leader?"

Gorsepaw turned to look at the dog she was referring to and replied, "Yes, that's Lionstar, WindClan's leader." As he spoke, his eyes shone with pride and he seemed to sit up taller just at the thought of his leader.

Just then a long howl was heard and a pack of dogs came pouring down the slope from the dark, ominous pine trees in ShadowClan territory.

A black female mastiff with white paws and tail-tip and emerald green eyes prowled through the groups of dogs to the Great Rock and coolly nodded her head to Spiritstar and Lionstar.

Gorsepaw leaned toward Swiftpaw, much to Beechpaw's dislike, and whispered, "That's Emeraldstar, the leader of ShadowClan. No one seems to want to cross her."

Swiftpaw nodded slowly and then noticed a large, dark brown and white ShadowClan apprentice padding by her. "Hi," she began lightly, "I'm Swiftpaw, and you are?"

The apprentice snarled at her and retorted viciously, "Why would I want anything to do with ThunderClan filth like you?" He then stalked off, leaving a bewildered Swiftpaw in his wake.

"Don't worry about Hawkpaw." A sympathetic voice spoke up from behind her, "He's really very nice, he just doesn't like showing it to dogs in other Clans."

Swiftpaw whipped around to see a pretty silver mastiff staring after Hawkpaw with an unreadable expression in her bright green eyes.

Noticing Swiftpaw staring at her, she smiled, "I'm Featherpaw. Nice to meet you."

'Surely such a nice, gentle dog couldn't come from ShadowClan.' Swiftpaw thought. However, she took a quick sniff and caught the dark, marshy scent of ShadowClan clinging to her pelt.

She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off once again when RiverClan came streaming down into the hollow led by a dark brown female German shepherd with a white chest and muzzle and very dark blue eyes. She made her way to the Great Rock and, after exchanging courteous greetings with the other three leaders, leapt to the top of the rock.

"That's Twilightstar." Beechpaw whispered to her, his voice full of awe. "She's one of the greatest leaders the forest had ever seen."

As one, the four leaders on the rock raised their faces to Silverpelt and let out the customary howl to signal the start of the Gathering.

"Welcome dogs of all Clans. We join here by command of StarClan under the sacred truce of the full moon." Twilightstar said, stepping forward. "Lionstar, would you care to go first?"

Dipping his head, Lionstar stood and announced, "WindClan is doing well. Gorsepaw and Streampaw are here as apprentices. Flowerpaw has taken on the name Flowertail and her mentor, Cloudspot, has moved to the elders' den."

At this news, a murmur of congratulations rose from around the clearing and a dark gray mastiff with large white spots sitting next to Ravenwing dipped her head in recognition.

Lionstar then finished, "WindClan is ready for leaf-bare." and sat back as Emeraldstar stepped forward.

"ShadowClan is also doing well. We've had a new litter of pups born and our apprentices are training harder than ever." Emeraldstar's green eyes flashed, and she seemed to be daring anyone to think of her Clan as anything other than at full strength.

Twilightstar stepped forward and spoke for RiverClan, her eyes filled with barely-hidden grief, "Our deputy, Rainfall, was killed by a badger a quarter moon ago..."

Howls of sorrow surrounded the camp at this news. Ravenwing, her eye filled with shock, murmured sadly, "He was so young and strong." She then turned her gaze to Silverpelt and whispered, "Wolfstar, what is happening to us?"

Twilightstar closed her eyes for a moment, seeming to brace herself, and continued, "He was struck saving Dawnpup after she wandered out of camp. He was a kind and noble warrior to the last, I am proud to have had him for a deputy." The clearing was silent for a minute as everyone bowed their heads in respect. Twilightstar then finished, "Our new deputy is Willowwing."

As she stepped back, a white German shepherd with faint gray flecks dipped her head to acknowledge the murmur of praise she received from the other dogs.

Spiritstar stepped forward last, "ThunderClan comes tonight with two new warriors. The apprentices Jewelpaw and Redpaw have taken the names Jewelpool and Redstorm."

Spiritstar broke off as howls of congratulations broke out around the clearing. The two ThunderClanners were obviously very popular, especially Jewelpool. Even grumpy Hawkpaw offered his congratulations. Jewelpool sat tall, her eyes gleaming with pride. Redstorm, who was sitting beside her, gave her a soft lick on the cheek and whispered something in her ear as Spiritstar began again.

"Jewelpool's mentor, Sunstripe, has moved to the nursery." Swiftpaw noticed that Sunstripe, who was seated with a group of queens from the other Clans, stared at the Great Rock with a mixture of grief and happiness in her eyes.

One of the queens next to her asked in a quiet voice, "Foxfur?" When she nodded, the queen licked her muzzle sympathetically and pressed against her side to comfort her.

When she focused on Spiritstar again, she was just in time to hear her announce, "We also have four new apprentices. Leafpaw and Beetlepaw are in camp, but Swiftpaw and Beechpaw have come to their first Gathering."

Swiftpaw felt everyone's eyes on her and sat straighter, determined to show no nervousness, though she unconsciously wrapped her tail around Beechpaw's, who blinked gently at her.

Spiritstar then finished in a grave voice, "I have one final announcement. The half-breeds are getting more violent, and first blood has been spilt. ThunderClan has already suffered losses with the murders of Burningheart and Foxfur; it may not be long until they attack another Clan."

A ripple of unease made its way around the clearing, and there was an ominous feeling in the air as the dogs said quick farewells and gathered around their leaders. Swiftpaw dipped her head quickly to Gorsepaw and Featherpaw and bounded over to Spiritstar.

OOOoooOOO

Leafpaw sat waiting just outside the apprentices' den as Swiftpaw entered camp with the rest of the ThunderClan representatives.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Swiftpaw teased.

Leafpaw merely shrugged, "I couldn't. So what happened? How was it? How many dogs were there? Did you meet any? What did they look like?" Her green eyes were alight with curiosity as she badgered Swiftpaw for a description.

Realizing she wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon, Swiftpaw relented and answered, "WindClan was the only Clan there when we got there. I met an apprentice named Gorsepaw, a dark brown and black shepherd. There was also a WindClan elder named Cloudspot, a dark gray mastiff with big white spots. Their leader was a light ginger male setter with golden brown eyes, his name was Lionstar.

"Then ShadowClan arrived, announced with a howl that could send shivers down your spine. They were led by an enormous black female mastiff with white paws, bigger than Spiritstar! With eyes that burned like green fire. Her name was Emeraldstar. There was also Hawkpaw, practically the embodiment of ShadowClan, just like the leader, except with a dark brown and white pelt.

"I still can't figure out how Featherpaw is in ShadowClan, she was so kind and gentle, with a pale silver pelt and bright green eyes.

"Then, finally, RiverClan showed up. Their deputy, Rainfall was killed by a badger, he seems like he was a strong, noble dog. The new one is Willowwing, a white female shepherd with faint gray flecks. They were led by Twilightstar. She was amazing, a dark brown female shepherd with a white chest and muzzle and the most intense dark blue eyes I've ever seen." She trailed off, remembering.

Leafpaw sat for a moment with her eyes wide before she murmured, "Wow," Closing her eyes, she moaned, "Oh I can't wait to go next time." As an afterthought, she added, "Hopefully."

As she gazed sympathetically at her sister, exhaustion suddenly overcame Swiftpaw. Nodding good night to Leafpaw, she turned and stumbled into the depths of the apprentices' den.

A/N- That part at the end was basically a recap of everything. I hope you like this chapter. You're making the purple button feel sad because it thinks you don't like it, so make it feel special by clicking it and Review!!!!!


	10. Words of Wisdom

A/N- I am thoroughly annoyed. Not with you guys, with my computer. I was writing Chapter 11 (which is a long one- it's already even longer than the Gathering, and its not even finished yet!) and I'd just gotten done with about 3 pages that had a LOT of info in them (seriously, it took me like, over half an hour to write them, and for me, that's a long time). So I went away to watch a show I liked, and when I came back, the computer was shut down. Well, turns out, I didn't save it! So I've had to do the ENTIRE part over, AGAIN. AND I'm going back to school on Monday. So please review, it'll make me happy.

Disclaimer- jhlsb gagko;as rhtdsrgeg hhi o[sgfai [oh ghjgr. That's a forgotten language called Idunkare Eeskumpletleepointlees, figure out what it means for yourself…

Chapter 10- Words of Wisdom

"Swiftpaw, wait up!"

Swiftpaw turned at the entrance to the camp with three mice and a rabbit clutched in her jaws. Leafpaw dashed ahead of Redstorm to trot by Swiftpaw's side.

Seeing her catch, she exclaimed, "Wow, you've had some good hunting today! You always catch rabbits, don't you? Must be because you're so fast…" She then continued to babble on about her battle training she'd just had with Redstorm.

Swiftpaw deposited her fresh-kill in the pile and picked up the rabbit and biggest mouse to take to the elders.

She trotted over to the den to find Ravenwing dozing and Fleetwhisker and Smokecloud sharing tongues. Fleetwhisker immediately turned his back on Swiftpaw and Smokecloud gave her a sympathetic glance before taking the rabbit to share with him.

Ravenwing, awoken by Fleetwhisker's grumbling and the smell of fresh-kill, blinked her single eye and gratefully accepted the plump mouse.

Swiftpaw liked the wise old German shepherd; she was kind and gentle, though she still had the temper and skills to scare even the bravest warrior. She was one of the few dogs who was kind to Swiftpaw, and could always be counted on for a story or some words of comfort.

Noticing the sadness in Swiftpaw's eyes as she looked at Fleetwhisker, she said gruffly, "They're just being too stubborn for their own good. Most of them have had the idea that half-breeds are inferior drilled into their heads since they were pups. They'll just need some time to get used to you, and then it will be all right."

"I know," Swiftpaw sighed, defeated, "I just don't know what else to do. I hunt enough to feed half the Clan and they take no notice. What will it take?"

"Be patient, young one." Ravenwing soothed, drawing her tongue across Swiftpaw's head, "They'll come around soon enough. Don't let it get to you. Now go get some fresh-kill and some sleep. I hear Spiritstar is taking you for battle practice tomorrow."

Feeling her spirits lift slightly, Swiftpaw nodded and trotted lightly out of the den. Upon reaching the fresh-kill pile, she noticed happily that there was still a plump blackbird in the pile.

Just as she reached down to grab it, she was pushed roughly aside by Firestream, who smirked and stated, "Filth like you get the last choice of the pile. It's not like you do anything anyway." He then stalked away to eat by Darkclaw.

Swiftpaw picked up the last piece of fresh-kill, a scrawny little mouse that was barely enough to feed a pup, and padded over to where Beechpaw and Beetlepaw were eating together by the apprentice den. As she got closer, Beetlepaw turned his head sharply away from her.

Disheartened, Swiftpaw walked away to eat in a corner by herself. Leafpaw ran over a few moments later ranting about how she saw what Beetlepaw had done and how much of a mouse-brain he was because of it.

"It's fine, really. I don't care." Swiftpaw replied dully, sneaking a sad glance at Beechpaw and Beetlepaw. She was surprised to see that they were having a heated argument until Beechpaw grabbed the plump finch he was eating and stalked over to them.

He stood in front of them, his eyes softening. He dropped the finch and sighed, "I'm sorry, both for Darkclaw and Beetlepaw. I sometimes think they should have been mentor and apprentice, they act so alike." He said, dipping his head.

Swiftpaw blinked, surprised, and then said, "You don't have to apologize for them, you didn't do anything."

He looked up and she added shyly, "Thanks though."

He blinked warmly at her and settled down next to her. Eyeing her tiny meal, he nudged his finch towards her and said, "Here, we can share."

OOOoooOOO

Spiritstar lay in front of her den watching her Clan in the late leaf-fall sunlight.

Her gaze came to rest on Leafpaw, Swiftpaw, and Beechpaw talking joyfully near the apprentices' den. She let out a soft sign of happiness as she thought of her apprentice's growing popularity. Little by little, the Clan was beginning to like and accept her. There were still many glares and anger, but they were starting to take notice of the things Swiftpaw was doing for the Clan.

Spiritstar's eyes continued around the camp and next fell on Darkclaw sharing tongues with a very plump Whitefeather. She still couldn't understand how her proud, yet occasionally hot-headed deputy had become mates with the kind, soft-spoken queen.

Shaking her head slightly, Spiritstar moved on to the next group, Jewelpool and Redstorm, talking quietly by the warriors' den. There seemed to be quite a strong connection between the two warriors, thought they told everyone they were simply good friends. They seemed oblivious to the glares being sent at them from across the camp by Gingerstorm.

It was common knowledge that Gingerstorm liked Redstorm and hated it when he was with other females. Redstorm, it seemed, only had eyes for Jewelpool, whether they realized it or not.

Glancing at Silentshadow, who was staring at Redstorm with a look of pure hatred, Spiritstar realized that Gingerstorm wasn't the only one who disapproved of the match.

With Jewelpool being Silentshadow's only pup, it seemed natural that she'd be overprotective of her. She probably thought Redstorm was trying to steal Jewelpool away from her.

Shaking her head once again, Spiritstar heaved herself to her paws and padded into her den.

A/N- I love Ravenwing. I personally think she's awesome.

I just wanted to add in something about the relationships within the Clan and what other dogs thought of them. You either like it or not, but some of them may be important hint hint.


	11. Learning to Fight Back

A/N- …Holy…shoot. This chapter took FOR EVER. If this doesn't make you happy, _nothing will._

Disclaimer- Yes, I own Warriors. I am now going to sue you all for a million bucks because you didn't ask permission to use the characters, plot, etc. –rolls eyes-

Chapter 11- Learning to Fight Back

A dark shape loomed in the shadows, just on the edge of sight. Blue eyes flicked nervously back and forth, not bothering to try to make out the figure, she knew it was impossible.

Dark brown eyes flashed with anger as they met hers, and something stirred in her mind. Those eyes seemed so familiar, but where had she seen them? Before she could study them more, they suddenly vanished. She could sense the creature moving noiselessly through the undergrowth.

Whipping around, she tried to find it, but couldn't see anything in the pitch black night. She suddenly felt claws digging into her back and scrambled frantically to shake them off. Just as she craned her head around to see her attacker, she woke up.

She was no longer in a dark clearing, but safe in her den beneath to Highrock.

Spiritstar snorted in annoyance. Though the exact same dream plagued her dreams night after night, she'd thought that maybe this time it would be different, maybe she'd finally learn what the ominous creature was.

Then she remembered the eyes. They were new to her dream, but where had she seen them?

Shaking her head, she snorted again and hauled herself to her paws. As she exited the den, Spiritstar noticed her apprentice talking animatedly with Leafpaw in the center of the clearing. Leafpaw nudged Swiftpaw and nodded towards her as she approached.

Swiftpaw turned to face her and Spiritstar stopped dead. Those eyes, they were the exact same ones as in the dream. Did that mean…? No, she contradicted herself. It couldn't be.

Shaking her head, Spiritstar forced herself to ask, "Ready for battle practice?" in a light tone. Swiftpaw nodded eagerly and trotted next to her through the gorse tunnel.

OOOoooOOO

"Attack me."

Swiftpaw blinked, surprised. She was supposed to attack her own leader! Was she mouse-brained?

As if she could read her thoughts, Spiritstar said, "You won't hurt me Swiftpaw."

Unconvinced, Swiftpaw nodded and sank into a crouch. She moved around quickly, trying to get a clear shot at Spiritstar's back, but unblinking blue eyes followed her every move.

She leapt forward, launching herself at Spiritstar in an attempt to surprise her. Spiritstar raised a paw and smacked her out of the way, pinning her to the ground.

Leaning down next to her ear, Spiritstar breathed, "Now try something I don't expect."

She leapt away across the clearing. Swiftpaw rolled over and shook the dust from her coat. Narrowing her eyes, she wracked her brain to think of a way to surprise her mentor. She leapt forward again, but as Spiritstar rose to meet her, she cut downwards under her paws. She then knocked Spiritstar's hind paws forcefully out from under her.

Darting out of the way as she fell, Swiftpaw quickly placed a paw on Spiritstar's neck and chest, pinning her to the ground. Leaning down, she whispered, "Expect that?"

Spiritstar nodded her head in satisfaction as Swiftpaw let her up. They continued sparring until well past sunhigh.

By that time they were both panting and got a drink from the nearby stream before starting back to camp.

OOOoooOOO

Noticing them as they came in the gorse tunnel, Firestream sneered, "I _do_ feel bad for Spiritstar. Her apprentice is so weak. It's really very sad."

Everyone froze, waiting for her reaction.

Swiftpaw suddenly felt all the anger and frustration she'd built up in the past few moons coursing through her veins. It didn't matter that the entire Clan was gathered in the clearing. Nor did it matter that her mentor, her Clan leader, was right next to her. All that mattered was the fact that this worthless mound of fox dung had been taunting her and putting her down for two straight moons. And she was sick of it.

Without thinking, Swiftpaw launched herself forward.

Firestream didn't realize this until she slashed him across the muzzle, the force of the blow knocking him to the ground. He rolled with the impact and leapt toward her. She dropped to the ground and slithered under his outstretched paws, hitting his stomach with her hind paws as he flew by.

She made to stand but he jumped on top of her, biting down sharply on her shoulder and raking his claws down her back. Howling in pain, Swiftpaw scrambled to break loose, but he only bit down harder. Craning her head around, she bit down on Firestream's foreleg as hard as she could. This earned her a loud howl of pain that escaped his mouth, causing him to let go of her shoulder.

She then wriggled her body around and, with all the strength she could muster, kicked him off of her. He landed hard in the dust across the clearing with his breath knocked out of him. Swiftpaw rolled to her feet and stood panting as he slowly got his breath back and stood shakily. She noticed with slight satisfaction that he couldn't put any weight on the leg she'd bitten.

Glaring at her, Firestream made his way to the medicine dog clearing, leaving Swiftpaw to look around the clearing at the rest of the Clan.

Many dogs were nodding in acceptance, but she sought out one in particular. She finally found him sitting by the Highrock.

Holding her head high, she stared straight into his challenging amber eyes. Slowly, he blinked and nodded his head. Darkclaw recognized defeat when he saw it and, in this case, accepted it.

Swiftpaw nodded back and limped toward the medicine dog clearing. As she did, she saw Ravenwing staring at her. She seemed to say 'I told you,' though her eye was filled with pride.

Swiftpaw shook her head slightly and continued across the clearing.

Burningpelt was just finishing Firestream's wounds, so she settled down to wait, licking the wounds she could. Finally, Firestream stood and limped out of the clearing.

Making her way towards Swiftpaw, Burningpelt asked, "Where does it hurt worst?"

Though it felt like her entire back was on fire, Swiftpaw simply grunted, "My shoulder."

"Oh, that's a nasty one." Burningpelt murmured. She rubbed some poultice on it, causing Swiftpaw to yelp and flinch in pain.

Clenching her jaws together, she forced herself to stay quiet and still until Burningpelt gave her the all-clear.

"Just take it easy for the next day or two, you could make it worse by irritating it." She warned.

"But-" Swiftpaw tried to object.

"Swiftpaw," Burningpelt interrupted her sternly, "This is serious. If you don't let your shoulder heal it will continually get worse. Take it easy or it may never heal."

Reluctantly, Swiftpaw nodded and limped out into the camp. She was heading toward the apprentices' den when Spiritstar called her name.

"You did well in that fight today. You showed the Clan that you are just as good as everyone else. They won't forget in a hurry." She said, padding up to her.

Swiftpaw glowed with pride at the comment. Then she remembered what Burningpelt said, "Burningpelt said I can't train for another day or two. Says I'll irritate my shoulder." She recalled bitterly.

Spiritstar smiled sympathetically, "Just take tomorrow off. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to train the next day."

Swiftpaw nodded and, yawning, continued across the clearing to her den.

OOOoooOOO

The next day, Swiftpaw woke and padded out of the apprentices' den to find Beetlepaw and Leafpaw sitting by the nettle patch sharing fresh-kill. She grabbed a thrush from the pile and joined them.

"Scarcheek is taking me on the sunhigh patrol with Fallenoak and Longfang today." Beetlepaw boasted, puffing out his chest importantly.

"Lucky," Leafpaw whined, "Redstorm is taking me bird catching with Jewelpool. I'm going to have splinters stuck in my pads for a moon!"

Swiftpaw stared unsympathetically at her sister, "At least you get to go out and train. Meanwhile I'm stuck in here all day playing with the pups."

"Speaking of which," Beechpaw said, joining them, "when do you think Whitefeather will have hers?"

Swiftpaw followed his gaze and saw Burningpelt and Darkclaw rushing into the nursery and shrugged, "Soon from the looks of them."

"There's something to look forward to." Leafpaw said, attempting to cheer her up.

"Thanks for trying." Swiftpaw replied glumly.

"Leafpaw!" Redstorm called from across the clearing.

"You'd better go, Redstorm and Jewelpool are waiting. I'll be fine." Swiftpaw soothed as her sister gulped down the rest of her shrew and sprinted off.

Swiftpaw slowly finished her meal as Beetlepaw was called by Scarcheek and Beechpaw was summoned for a hunting patrol with Brackenpelt and Silentshadow. When she finished, she heaved herself to her paws and padded over to check on the elders.

"Ah, hello Swiftpaw. Come to clean out the den?" Smokecloud asked as she entered.

Grimacing, Swiftpaw nodded and began pushing the old bedding into piles to take out. 'At least I get to leave camp.' She thought dully.

When she had finished collecting new bedding, Ravenwing said, "Well I think young Swiftpaw deserves a story." She looked at the other elders for approval and settled more comfortably in the grass. "Have you heard the tale of Savagestar?"

Swiftpaw shook her head, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"When I was just a young warrior, WindClan was taken over by Savagestar. He was originally from ShadowClan, and he and his brother, Boldstar the leader of ShadowClan, planned to take over all the Clans. They were ruthless. They forced pups to become apprentices and killed anyone that didn't do as they were ordered. They attacked and killed any border patrols they found, and they refused to allow the other leaders, old Oakstar of RiverClan and Morningstar of ThunderClan, to visit Highstones.

"They planned to take over ThunderClan and RiverClan by killing their leaders. They thought that if we didn't have a leader, we would surrender. Oakstar was the first to fall. He had only one life left at the time, and he was killed during a raid on the RiverClan camp.

"Next they came for Morningstar, who had three lives left. She had just lost one life from a bout of greencough, and it left her weaker than usual. She was killed once trying to get to Highstones, and then again when she and her apprentice were ambushed while they were training. The final time was during a raid of the camp."

She paused and her eye glazed over with grief as she remembered, "It was terrible, it seemed like for every one of us, there were two of them. They broke into the nursery and killed all the pups as well as my mother, Nightflower, who was guarding them. I thought we would be wiped out."

"Well? How did you survive? What happened?" Swiftpaw asked earnestly.

"I'm getting to that." Ravenwing said before continuing, "We were losing. Many dogs had been killed, including our deputy, Blackrose. Then Wolfpelt, a warrior like me, showed up with his patrol and two others, as well as help from RiverClan. He let out a howl and launched himself at Savagestar, who was preparing to give Morningstar a killing bite to the neck. He ended up killing Savagestar once, which put life back into the Clan. We were finally able to beat the attackers back.

"When the battle ended, Morningstar was dying. With her final breath, she named Wolfpelt deputy and told him to take care of the Clan.

"Despite the win, the Clan seemed broken, defeated. Many dogs thought that all was lost. Both ThunderClan and RiverClan had lost their leaders, both Twilightnight and Wolfpelt were young warriors unaccustomed to leading a Clan, and our enemy seemed as strong as ever, though with one less life. But Wolfpelt refused to give up. He came up with a route to get to Highstones without crossing WindClan territory.

"That very night, Wolfpelt and Twilightnight took a small group of ThunderClan and RiverClan dogs. Under the cover of darkness, we traveled along the edge of the gorge and out of Clan territory. We then turned towards Highstones and used the tall plants in the Twoleg fields as cover to get the rest of the way. We sheltered in an old Twoleg nest and rested during the day before going to the Moonstone.

"During the ceremony, Wolfstar was told that Savagestar was planning a second attack on our camp. We rushed back but arrived too late. The attack had already started, and this time both ShadowClan and WindClan were together against ThunderClan and RiverClan, who was sheltering in our territory because their camp was completely destroyed.

"When we arrived, Spiritstar, then our deputy, Spiritsong, was battling both Savagestar and his deputy, Iceheart, at the same time. Wolfstar and I leapt at them to help her. Iceheart panicked and accidentally struck Savagestar, killing him once and for all. Realizing what he'd done, Iceheart ran. Boldstar saw his brother lose his last life and jumped on Wolfstar from behind."

Her eye filled with unbearable grief, more than just for her leader, but as though he meant something more. "Wolfstar couldn't throw him off, and Boldstar dealt the killing blow to his neck. I couldn't save him. I tried, but was blocked by another dog. As Boldstar was celebrating, Twilightstar attacked him, knocking him to the ground. By that time most of the dogs had either run away or died.

"Twilightstar was about to kill Boldstar, but Wolfstar stopped her. He said if we killed him in cold blood, we would be as bad as him. Instead, Boldstar was banished from all Clan territory. The last anyone ever heard or saw of him, he was limping past Highstones, out of Clan territory."

Awed, Swiftpaw exclaimed, "I want to be Clan leader just like Wolfstar. Nothing could ever be as good as that."

Ravenwing blinked slowly, then replied mysteriously, "There are other things that can be like that, but even more rewarding."

Tilting her head to one side, Swiftpaw asked, "What could possibly be better or more rewarding than being the Clan leader?"

Ravenwing's eye glowed as though she knew more than she was letting on, and she said, "Having pups and a mate that love you."

Swiftpaw scoffed, "Being a queen, no way." Then something clicked in her mind, "Wolfstar was your mate, wasn't he?"

Ravenwing nodded. It was so obvious. Now all of her actions made sense, talking to him at the Gathering, the regret and grief she showed during the story, it was because she loved him.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Swiftpaw heard Leafpaw calling her name from the clearing. Saying good bye to Ravenwing, Swiftpaw left her watching the sky as Silverpelt reclaimed it once more.

A/N- Seven pages, over 2,600 words…BOO YA! So anyway, this is the last chapter I actually have written (not so bad, eh?), so updates may take a little longer now. I also have a poetry performance thing for English the end of January, as well as six performances of Beauty and the Beast coming up in the middle of February (more actually…and I pretty much have a different part for each). _Also_ there are some soccer and basketball tournaments that I have during certain weekends. So basically this is a really bad time for writing, reading, etc. but I'll try to squeeze it in. That is my promise.


	12. Saving Lives

A/N- Sorry for the wait, I won't bore you with a long Author's Note this time. ON TO THE FIC!

Disclaimer- Yes, I am 'Erin Hunter' (aka- Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Victoria Holmes). I am also J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, and Dr. Seuss.

Chapter 12- Saving Lives

"Swiftpaw, wake up." A deep voice whispered.

Swiftpaw lifted her head and blinked sleepily at the large dog in front of her. Confused, she realized that she couldn't remember ever seeing him around camp. She slowly stood and looked at him more carefully.

He was staring down at her with kind, intelligent hazel eyes. She had to crane her head up because he was so large, with a light gray pelt, making him look almost like a wolf…_wolf_.

"You're Wolfstar, aren't you?" she asked.

He nodded once and said, "You're needed. One of your clanmates is in trouble."

Alarmed, Swiftpaw pressed, "What? Who is it? Where are they?" but Wolfstar's gaze was fixed on something over her shoulder.

Whipping around, she noticed a bundle of white and black fur lying on the ground and her eyes widened.

"No," she whispered, "Not Whitefeather."

"Yes." Wolfstar murmured, "Remember this place, you must hurry, or she and her pups will die."

His warm, calming scent then faded and Swiftpaw woke with a jolt. Sprinting out of the den, she pictured the place in her mind and realized it was near the training hollow. Without stopping to think, she raced out of the gorse tunnel.

OOOoooOOO

Wolfstar padded through the trees to a large clearing with a clear, star-filled pool in the middle.

Settling down on the edge and wrapping his tail around his paws, he stared into it and asked, "What is she doing?"

The black and silver mastiff next to him started and looked at him, just noticing his appearance. Turning back to glare at the pool, she shook her head and said bitterly, "She's made a pup's mistake. Burningpelt hasn't been warned."

"Silverflame calm down. I know you worry about your sister's pup. I'll take care of it." Wolfstar said, standing. He then trotted quickly back the way he had come.

OOOoooOOO

"Whitefeather? Whitefeather where are you?" Swiftpaw whispered earnestly.

She padded through the undergrowth slowly, afraid to go faster in case she missed the queen. Getting desperate, she sped up to a trot anyway.

When she still couldn't find her, Swiftpaw began sprinting. She barely managed to stop when she spotted Whitefeather lying stretched out on the ground. She lay motionless except for the ripples running down her side every few seconds.

Swiftpaw's heart lurched when her nose was suddenly flooded with the choking smell of blood. With her heart pounding, Swiftpaw hurried to the queen's side. Her worst fear was confirmed when she saw a small newborn pup lying motionless next to Whitefeather.

Swiftpaw nosed the small creature gently. Her heart lurched when she realized it was breathing, barely. It seemed that Whitefeather had started to take care of it, but she had run out of energy halfway. Relying on instincts rather than her mind, Swiftpaw pulled the pup to her and began licking her furiously.

She heard a rustling behind her and was surprised and relieved to see Burningpelt rocket out of the bushes with Darkclaw and Ravenwing close behind. Nodding at Swiftpaw, Burningpelt trotted to Whitefeather's side and set to work.

Swiftpaw focused back on the pup and was overjoyed when it gave a faint squeal. She quickly wrapped her body around the small creature to keep her warm.

Turning her attention back to Whitefeather, she realized that her eyes were now open and some of her strength had returned. Darkclaw was licking her head and shoulders, all the while murmuring quietly to her. Meanwhile, Ravenwing and Burningpelt were stroking Whitefeather's side gently to help move the remaining pups.

When the next finally came, Burningpelt licked it furiously for a few moments, but it was too late. The small black and white pup had already taken his place in StarClan.

A little while later the third and final pup came. Ravenwing picked her up and began licking while Burningpelt fed Whitefeather herbs to help her strength and bring milk.

As soon as Whitefeather could walk, Ravenwing and Swiftpaw picked up the pups and they made their way slowly back to camp.

The sun was just emerging over the treetops when the small party emerged from the gorse tunnel into the camp. Whitefeather staggered into the nursery with Darkclaw's help while Burningpelt gently laid the dead pup in the center of the camp. Swiftpaw stared at him for a moment, and then quickly followed Ravenwing to the nursery.

OOOoooOOO

Swiftpaw was awoken a quarter moon later by a paw jabbing into her side.

Expecting to find Leafpaw, she kept her eyes shut and said, "What to you want?"

She sat up slowly and opened her eyes, she found Darkclaw sitting in front of her with an expectant look on his face.

Her eyes widened and she sputtered, "I-I'm sorry Darkclaw! I thought you were Leafpaw. She's always waking me up, so…"

"Its fine," he said gently, "I just wanted to ask you to come to the nursery. Whitefeather and I want to talk to you."

Swiftpaw nodded eager to finally have an excuse to see the pups. She trotted across the clearing after him and squeezed through the brambles that protected the nursery.

Once inside, she paused for a second to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She looked around and saw Sunstripe lying in the nest closest to the entrance talking to Cedarheart, who had to stop once in a while to keep her pups from getting into trouble. Next to them, Dreamsong was asleep with her pups tucked into the curve of her stomach. At the very back of the nursery she found Whitefeather with her pups.

Whitefeather looked up as she approached and said, "Hello Swiftpaw. Sit down, I'd like to talk to you." When Swiftpaw had sat and curled her tail around her paws, she continued, "I never really got to thank you. If you hadn't come, I'm sure that me and my pups would be with StarClan right now. Also, we've decided to let you name one of the pups. They just opened their eyes, so it's time they had names."

Of everything Swiftpaw had been expecting, this was the last thing on the list. Shocked, she sputtered, "A-are you sure?"

Darkclaw nodded, and Whitefeather murmured, "More sure than I've ever been. Without you, we would have died. It seems right that you should have a part in their life."

Still shocked, Swiftpaw murmured, "Thank you."

She looked at the pups, trying to decide on a name for one of them. The first had a chocolate brown coat with a black muzzle and small black paws. She was tucked safely against her mother's stomach as she slept.

The second pup laid a little way away from her mother and sister. She was smaller than her sister, and had a dark brindle coat like her father, but her stomach and chest where white like her mother. As Swiftpaw watched, she lifted her head and blinked sleepily at her, revealing beautiful dark hazel eyes, another trait from her father.

"Hazelpup," Swiftpaw whispered, never taking her eyes off Hazelpup, she said louder, "This one can be named Hazelpup."

Whitefeather nodded and said, "Then the other one can be named," she paused, thinking, "Blackpup." She looked at Darkclaw, who nodded and padded out of the nursery.

Swiftpaw leaned down and softly licked Hazelpup between the ears, then nodded to Whitefeather and padded out of the nursery, pausing at the exit to whisper, "See you soon, Hazelpup."

A/N- YAY! Sosososososososososo sorry for the wait! Last weekend I had a soccer tournament and this weekend I had a basketball tournament, so it was hard updating. And my teachers seem to have been against me writing, because I was absolutely swamped with homework the past two weeks. Hope it was worth the wait!


	13. Reunion Pt I

A/N- Yay! Another chapter! WARNING: I can not be held accountable for all the things my twisted mind puts on the computer. It forces me to type.

Disclaimer- Can't come up with anything creative…darnit. Oh well, the point is: I DON'T OWN IT!

Chapter 13- Reunion

Two moons later

"Swiftpaw, wake up!" Leafpaw yelled, poking her sister in the side once again.

"What do you want Leafpaw?" Swiftpaw replied sleepily, sitting up.

"Hurry up, sleepyhead. You're going to miss Graypup and Rabbitpup's apprentice ceremony!" Leafpaw called, running out of the den.

Shaking her head, Swiftpaw stretched and followed just in time to see Graypup, Rabbitpup, and Cedarheart pad up to the Highrock. She wove through the crowd to her sister's side as Spiritstar leapt down from her post to meet the excited pups.

Turning to the larger of the two, she recited, "Graypup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Graypaw. Longfang, you will mentor Graypaw. Please pass on all of your strength and wit to this apprentice."

Mentor and apprentice touched noses and moved off to the side.

Spiritstar then turned to Rabbitpup, whose fur was fluffed up with excitement. "Rabbitpup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Rabbitpaw. Spottedchest, you will mentor Rabbitpaw. Our old deputy Burningheart was your mentor, please pass on all you learned from him to this young apprentice."

Spottedchest nodded with a determined glint in her eyes. She touched noses with Rabbitpaw as Swiftpaw joined everyone chanting the new names. She then followed Leafpaw as she rushed to congratulate their puphood den mates.

After the meeting broke up, she turned towards the gorse tunnel to go hunting. She was almost there when a voice called her name. She turned just in time to catch Hazelpup as she rocketed towards her. Swiftpaw rolled with the pup, ending up in a pile of fur.

"Hey Swiftpaw!" Hazelpup chirped when she'd disentangled herself, "What'cha doin'?"

"Well I was going to go hunt, but that was before you showed up." Swiftpaw said, fixing the pup with a stare.

"Uh yeah, about that…" Hazelpup stuttered.

"I tried to stop her." Whitefeather cut in merrily, joining them with Blackpup, "But you know how she is."

"It's fine." Swiftpaw shrugged, "What are you doing out and about anyway?"

"We're going outside to see some of the territory!" Hazelpup chirped, "Can you come? Please please please please please!" she begged

Swiftpaw pretended to think for a moment before saying slowly, "Well…I guess I don't have anything else that needs to be done right now…"

"YAY!" Hazelpup shouted, "Come one!"

With that, she raced out of the tunnel, leaving the rest of the party to catch up.

OOOoooOOO

"You'll never catch me!" Hazelpup teased as she danced away from Swiftpaw.

"Oh yes I will!" Swiftpaw called, charging in the direction of Hazelpup's laughing voice.

As she entered the training hollow, a vile scent flooded her nose and caused her to stop in her tracks. It was a scent she knew almost as well as her own. Bloody patrols came back with it clinging to their fur. It was worse than ShadowClan and Twolegplace combined. It was a scent that was always mixed with blood. And for anyone who got too close, it meant pain, suffering, and, eventually, death.

"Hazelpup get back here now!" she called, trying to hide her panic.

"What is it?" Hazelpup asked, popping out of a pile of sand.

"We have to get back to camp, _now_!"

"Why so soon?" she whined.

"Yes," a sinister voice droned, "Why so soon?"

Swiftpaw stood defensively over Hazelpup as a large dog materialized out of the bushes in front of her.

The golden mix sat a fox length away from her, his cold blue eyes studying her carefully. His mouth curled into a sneer, and he taunted, "Why if it isn't little Swiftpup, all grown up, if you can call it that. It's nice to see you again. Maybe this time you'll actually put up a fight, instead of always running away."

"I can't say it's a nice reunion, as it's not. But you couldn't keep up before, and this time will be no different." Swiftpaw snarled.

"Oh dear little sister, you don't honestly think you can beat us." He said, letting out a laugh that was more like a growl.

"Us? Last time I looked it was one-on-one." She sneered, "But of course you'd bring more. I don't suppose you could so much as defeat a squirrel, much less an apprentice."

She could tell he was angry when his ice blue eyes narrowed. "I'll show you." He jerked his head up and more forms materialized, surrounding Swiftpaw and Hazelpup. They snarled at her and snapped their jaws dangerously close to her. "Wait." He ordered them, "Not yet."

"Oh come on Fadingsun!" a lean gray female snapped, "We've been waiting all day! I want to show this traitor what's what."

"I know Breezewind." Fadingsun warned, "But you'll have to wait a bit longer. There's something I'd like to inform my dear sister of." Breezewind glared at him, but he was focused on Swiftpaw. "I've been made deputy."

"Well that's just amazing." Swiftpaw spat, "After all, I know you were the one that killed Foxfur."

"You think you're so clever, don't you sister? It's true that I killed that old fleabag. Now what are you going to do about it. You always were weak, and now let's see what the great Spiritstar has taught you."

With that he leapt at her. She managed to grab Hazelpup roughly and leap away. Putting her down, she murmured, "Stay close to me."

"Oh don't worry." Fadingsun drawled, "You're first, then we'll take care of the pup. Feel free to join in," he told the dogs surrounding them, "But I want my face to be the last one my dear sister sees."

Snarling, Swiftpaw leapt at him this time. She managed to score her claws across his muzzle before she was forced to dart away. She tried to dart underneath his legs, like she had been taught, but he landed a heavy blow with his paw. This sent her flying across the clearing and knocked the breath from her.

She yowled as an excruciating pain made its way up her leg, but she dragged herself to her paws and was just barely able to limp out of the way as Breezewind flew at her. She smelt the tang of blood as her side erupted in pain as well. She blinked stars from her vision and tried to fight back, landing a few blows as well. By this time the other dogs had joined in as well. She tried to weave beneath the legs of one of them. Unfortunately, her injured paw sent her off balance and she only gave him a few painful scratches before Fadingsun landed another heavy blow.

Her breath was knocked from her again as she landed across the clearing, but this time she was unable to stand. She collapsed in the dirt, fighting the blackness that tried to consume her. It was no use, and the last thing she saw was Hazelpup's terrified face. She then closed her eyes and sank into the comforting blackness, imagining that she heard a loud howl that became fainter and fainter as she went.

A/N- Muahahahahahaha! Cliffy! Yes I know I'm evil, but I already know what mostly the next chapter is, so I'll probably update faster. EyeOfTheTiger, I know I changed your characters a little, but I wanted to put them in and I needed evil people. It just worked. Please don't be mad, because you're my faithful reviewer (along with my new, hopefully-faithful reviewer, Gladewing- thanks) and I want you to be happy! More props go to Scarflower, the newest-new reviewer!


	14. Reunion Pt II

A/N- My gift to you before I disappear for two weeks. Once again, can't be held responsible, it's my crazy mind…

Disclaimer- Don't own it…You got a problem with that!?!?

Chapter 14- Reunion Pt 2

"Leafpaw, have you seen Swiftpaw?"

"No Spiritstar. I thought she was out training with you." The brown shepherd replied, puzzled.

"That's strange. I can't find her anywhere and Darkclaw didn't assign her to any patrols." Spiritstar murmured, scanning the clearing for any sight of her apprentice.

"Swiftpaw might be in the nursery. She likes playing with the pups." Beechpaw said, joining them.

Spiritstar nodded absentmindedly, setting off for the dense thicket of brambles. She shoved her way inside and stood blinking in the darkness. Still not finding the dog in question, she asked the room in general, "Where in the world is Swiftpaw?"

Whitefeather's sleepy voice answered her, "She went out with Hazelpup to give us some peace and quiet, but that was quite a while ago. They should be back by now."

For some reason, this made Spiritstar very uneasy. It wasn't terribly unusual for an apprentice to go off hunting by itself, but pups were a different story. Feeling a tight knot form in her stomach, Spiritstar quickly left the nursery and called Leafpaw.

"Swiftpaw and Hazelpup left camp this morning and haven't been seen since. I'm going to go find them, and I need you to come with me. I have a bad feeling about all of this." She explained.

Leafpaw nodded, "I do too Spiritstar. It isn't like Swiftpaw to leave for so long without telling anyone else."

With that the pair bounded out of the gorse tunnel. Spiritstar picked up Swiftpaw's scent almost immediately and followed it in the direction of the training hollow.

As they got closer, the knot tightened painfully and she slowed. They both stopped in their tracks when another scent suddenly joined Swiftpaw's. Many of ThunderClan still had trouble trusting the apprentice because the faintest wisp of it still clung to her fur.

She turned to Leafpaw, who nodded and ran back in the direction of camp. Spiritstar crept cautiously forward and barely peered through the bushes into the hollow. Swiftpaw stood defensively over Hazelpup as they were surrounded by a group of dogs.

She glared at the golden-furred dog in front of her as he warned the other dogs to wait. This didn't please one of the others, and she snapped, "Oh come on Fadingsun! We've been waiting all day! I want to show this traitor what's what."

Spiritstar silently prayed to StarClan for Leafpaw to hurry up as the one called Fadingsun retorted, "I know Breezewind. But you'll have to wait a bit longer. There's something I'd like to inform my dear sister of." Turning to Swiftpaw, he said smugly, "I've been made deputy."

Spiritstar turned to look for Leafpaw and when she turned back to watch she saw Fadingsun leap at Swiftpaw and barely stopped herself from leaping out right then to stop him. Swiftpaw dodged to the side with Hazelpup and warned her to stay close.

Fadingsun overheard and drawled, "Oh don't worry. You're first, then we'll take care of the pup. Feel free to join in," he told the dogs surrounding them, "But I want my face to be the last one my dear sister sees."

This caused Swiftpaw to leap at him herself. She scored her claws down the side of his muzzle but was hit away by his paw. She landed roughly on the other side of the clearing and slowly raised herself to her paws. By this time the other dogs joined in, and the female from earlier gouged a deep scratch down Swiftpaw's side.

So much blood gushed from the wound that Spiritstar was surprised she could even stand. She tried to fight back, but was unsteady and was thrown across the clearing again. This time she didn't get up, and Spiritstar saw her eyes slowly close.

Unable to hold herself back any longer, she let out a battle cry and leapt at Fadingsun as he stalked toward the fallen apprentice. She landed directly on his back and bit down, hard. Other dogs leapt at her, but she paid no mind as the dog beneath her wriggled and kicked, trying to shake her off. She finally leapt off of the struggling dog and turned on a black and white striped dog.

Breezewind jumped on her back as she fought him, and another dog grabbed her tail. Just as she began to be overwhelmed, she heard Darkclaw's battle cry and Breezewind was wrenched off of her. She turned on the one clinging to her tail and slashed him across the face.

He yelped and turned to run, straight into Redstorm and Jewelpool. Spiritstar glanced quickly around the clearing. Darkclaw was still battling the gray female as Beechpaw and Leafpaw chased two dark mixes into the undergrowth.

Adrenaline pulsed through Spiritstar as she searched for her next foe. She saw a flash of gold and bolted towards the deputy.

"Fadingsun," she called, causing him to turn from the bloody dog in front of him, "Looking for me?"

"Spiritstar," he growled, "Trying to protect my worthless sister? Typical, she always has to have someone fight her battles."

At the same moment, they leapt at each other. Spiritstar dodged around him and clenched her jaws around his hind leg. She then tried to roll away from his flailing paws but wasn't quick enough. Fadingsun scored his claws down her unprotected stomach. She quickly gathered her strength in her legs and heaved upward, throwing him across the clearing, where he landed with a dull thump.

He rose shakily to his paws and snarled, but Spiritstar merely growled, "Give up Fadingsun, its over. You've been defeated."

The deputy looked from his battered and defeated troop to the ThunderClanners standing in a menacing line in front of him.

In a deathly whisper, he retorted, "This isn't over just yet Spiritstar. You can't protect her forever." Then with a small jerk of his head, the half-breeds melted once more into the shadows.

Spiritstar stared at the spot a moment longer before she heard her name being called by Jewelpool.

"It's Swiftpaw…" the shepherd trailed off, her blue eyes clouded with worry.

Spiritstar followed her across the blood-ridden clearing to the small, still form of the apprentice. Hazelpup huddled at her side, her eyes wide with terror.

"Wh-why w-won't S-Swiftpaw wake up?" she whimpered.

Spiritstar bowed her head with her eyes closed to hide her grief. She blinked once and stared at the apprentice. Her eyes widened as Swiftpaw's chest moved feebly up and down.

"She's alive…" she murmured, louder she added, "We've got to get her back-" but was cut off by a long, eerie howl.

Turning, she saw Beechpaw and Leafpaw huddled over the bloody body of their den mate. Beetlepaw was dead.

A/N- Sorry any Beetlepaw lovers, it had to happen. I'm kind of annoyed at myself because it's taking a long time to write chapters lately. I think I'm having semi-writers block because I know what's gonna happen, I just have to figure out how to link all the events together. I'm kind of gonna disappear of the face of the Earth for about two weeks because the eight performances of Beauty and the Beast I mentioned earlier are next week and dress rehearsals are dominating my life right now. So pretty much I'm just trying to stay sane! Sorry! Don't hate me!


	15. Grief

A/N- Ok, I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so (you get the picture) sorry that it took so long. I swear the world was against me writing. First I had all the stuff I had already told you about, but then for the past two weeks, I was in the weirdest mood. I couldn't write, and if I got a decent idea, it was gone the minute I tried to write it down. It stunk. I'll stop rambling now and let you read.

Disclaimer- The only things I own are the Harry Potter books, the Warriors books, my insane mind, my torch and pitchfork, and finally, my procrastination. Once again, sorry.

Chapter 15- Grief

'My brother is dead…' Beechpaw thought as he stumbled through the undergrowth after Spiritstar. His eyes drifted to Beetlepaw's body, which was being carried back to camp by Darkclaw and Brackenpelt.

His normally dark red fur looked brown because of all the blood and his head, which he had always held with such and air of confidence, lolled to the side. Beechpaw tore his gaze away from the brother he no longer recognized, only to notice the thin line Beetlepaw's limp tail left as it trailed through the dirt towards camp, the only sign that anyone had passed through the silent forest.

OOOoooOOO

Burningpelt watched, horrified, as the mournful battle party stumbled into camp. Her heart lurched as she noticed two bloody bodies being carried through the gorse tunnel. One was laid down in the middle of camp and she stared, transfixed, as Flamepelt flung herself over the body of Beetlepaw, her cries muffled by his long fur.

Burningpelt looked to Silverpelt, searching desperately for an answer her ancestors refused to give.

"Great StarClan," she murmured under her breath, "What is happening to us?"

She was snapped out of her revere as Jewelpool nudged her gently, concern in her eyes.

"It's Swiftpaw," she whispered, "Please, save her."

She turned and gestured to the unconscious apprentice, and Burningpelt's eyes widened at the sight of her blood soaked fur. After a moment, her eyes seemed to harden and she whipped around, beckoning Jewelpool into her den with a sweep of her tail.

OOOoooOOO

As the moon rose to its peak in the star-strewn sky, Beechpaw slunk out of the medicine den and pressed himself against his mother's side. Digging his nose into Beetlepaw's fur, he allowed his eyes to fall closed as he immersed himself in the past.

OoO

"_Hey Jewelpaw! What are you doing with Sunstripe today?" an excited Beetlepup called, running up to the young apprentice with his brother right behind._

"_I don't know guys. I'm not sure if I can tell you." Jewelpaw said slowly, glancing slyly at the pups._

"_Come on, please!" Beechpup whined._

"_Well, I guess I can tell you-"_

"_Yay!" they cheered._

"_Sunstripe said," she said slowly, pausing for suspense. Finally she whispered, "Battle practice."_

_The .pups' eyes widened and Beetlepup pleaded, "Will you teach us? Please?"_

_Soon Beechpup joined in, but Jewelpaw shook her head, "Your mentors will teach you all about it when you become apprentices."_

"_But that's ages away." Beetlepup whined._

_Then they heard their mother's voice from the nursery, "Beechpup, Beetlepup, stop bothering the apprentices and come back inside."_

"_Awww, but mom-"_

"_No buts. Now come inside and let Jewelpaw go to training."_

_As they turned, tails down, Beetlepup boasted, "It's a good thing mom stopped us. I would have creamed you easily."_

"_In your dreams!" Beechpup growled, pouncing on his brother. They rolled in a bundle of legs until Beechpup broke away and ran, laughing, toward the nursery with Beetlepup right behind._

OoO

"_Beechpaw! Beetlepaw! Beechpaw! Beetlepaw!"_

_Beechpaw bounded up to Beetlepaw as the Clan cheered their new names._

"_We're apprentices!" he burst out._

_Beetlepaw looked at him coolly and gave a noncommittal snort. Confused, Beechpaw asked, "Are you okay?" No answer. "Beetlepaw, we're apprentices! This is what we've been waiting for since, I don't remember when! Aren't you excited? We get to go hunting and have battle-"_

"_What makes you so special, huh?" Beetlepaw snarled, whipping around and glaring at Beechpaw, "Why do you get to have Darkclaw as your mentor? I should. I've wanted to have him since before he even became deputy, and you took that."_

_Beechpaw's face slowly turned from stunned to disbelief to hurt as he realized what his brother was implying, "You think I planned this? I didn't choose who my mentor was going to be, okay? Spiritstar did. You're my brother, Beetlepaw; I would never do anything like that on purpose."_

_Beetlepaw merely stalked off to the apprentice den, never looking back._

OoO

"_Swiftpaw might be in the nursery. She likes playing with the pups."_

_As Spiritstar set off to look, Beechpaw heard a scornful voice ask, "Why does it matter if she's missing? She's just some stupid half-breed."_

_Whipping around, he wasn't surprised to see that Beetlepaw was the one speaking. He glanced at Leafpaw, who nodded and padded off towards the nursery._

_He then turned to Beetlepaw and demanded, "How can you say that? If Swiftpaw hadn't found them, Whitefeather, Blackpup, and Hazelpup would be dead."_

"_Oh please. She got a lucky break, but explain this to me. Why was she out in the first place? Probably going to give ThunderClan secrets away to her filthy kin."_

"_Why can't you just accept the fact that she's different from the rest of them?" a look of realization crept over his face, and he said, disbelief coating every word, "You're still jealous. That's it, isn't it? You can't forgive her for getting Spiritstar as a mentor just like you can't forgive me for getting Darkclaw." Beetlepaw looked away, "Why can't you just let it go? You're my brother and-"_

"_I have no brother!" Beetlepaw burst out angrily, "Much less one like you."_

_Beechpaw almost attacked him, but at that moment, Leafpaw burst into camp, howling, "Half-breeds! Attacking Swiftpaw and Hazelpup! Help!"_

OoO

The last memory faded away, leaving behind blackness. Grief welled up inside of Beechpaw, 'I'm sorry Beetlepaw!' he thought frantically, trying to lessen the weight on his heart.

Suddenly a figure formed out of the darkness. His dark red fur shone slightly with an unearthly glow, and his dark eyes held the slight glint of star shine. Beechpaw's head sprang up and his eyes opened, but his brother was once again nothing but a cooling body in front of him.

Then he felt slight warmth that seemed to be calling his towards the gorse tunnel. He obliged, and when he got outside, he found Beetlepaw waiting for him once again.

"Beetlepaw," he whispered, "I'm so so-" he was cut off by his brother's tail.

"Don't." he said simply, "You have nothing to be sorry for, and you can't let grief consume you. There is another who needs you right now." He moved forward to touch his nose to Beechpaw's flank and murmured, "I may not be in StarClan just yet, but I can already tell they have planned a great destiny for you, brother. Don't be afraid of it when it comes."

He pulled away as a deep voice spoke, "It's time, Beetlepaw."

Beechpaw's heart gave another painful jerk as he recognized his father. Burningheart nodded once and said, "Take care of Flamepelt, and remember what your brother said." He then turned to Beetlepaw, who nodded, and they both faded from sight, leaving Beechpaw looking to Silverpelt, watching a new star twinkle merrily to him.

A/N- So…yeah…not my best work. It's kind of a filler chapter…a rather long filler chapter. I just had to get them from the battlefield back to camp. And I wanted to give a bit more on Beetlepaw and Beechpaw's relationship, and give Beechpaw some angst time. I finally got to writing it because I went on vacation and had a two-and-a-half hour car ride and forgot to charge my DS and everything else. Anyway, please don't flame, but still review! It's my Easter present!


	16. Safe?

Shout Outs- Thanks to (as usual) Scarflower, EyeOfTheTiger, and (the newest person) Poisonfire-'Con- for reviewing!

A/N- YAY! 2 chapters in a week! I don't think that's happened since I had them pre-written! Kind of short I know, but…yeah I got nothing.

Oh! I was in such a rush to update last chapter that I forgot to mention it was my dog's birthday exactly two weeks ago! Yes, Kimble (the inspiration for Swiftpaw, as well as this story) turned three years old March 16, 2008! (at least we think, she's my little pound puppy, so we just estimated. We got her July 16, 2005 and they said she was about four months old) YAY!

Disclaimer- we've been over this 15 times! NO!

Chapter 16- Safe?

Jewelpool stood in the entrance of the medicine den with a soft smile on her face as she looked at the occupant of one of the nests. Swiftpaw lay stretched out with her side covered in cobwebs. Beechpaw lay next to her, gently grooming her fur. He felt someone's eyes on him and looked up suddenly.

Jewelpool blinked, snapping herself out of a sort of trance, and said calmly, "How is she?"

Beechpaw stood, careful not to disturb the unconscious apprentice, and padded up to her. He sighed and said, "She's fine, but she still hasn't woken up. I'm worried. It's been over a quarter moon!" He paused and continued in a small voice, "Jewelpool, what if she never wakes up?"

Jewelpool looked sadly at the apprentice and replied, "I don't know Beechpaw. I honestly don't know."

They stood in silence for another moment before Jewelpool, trying to lighten the mood, teased gently, "So you're going to your last Gathering as an apprentice tonight. You excited?"

Beechpaw looked unsure, "I don't know. I might just ask to stay here with Swiftpaw."

"Beechpaw, don't." Jewelpool said sternly, "You can't stay behind. You should know Swiftpaw wouldn't want you to miss it." Seeing that he was still looking uncertain, she continued gently, "Go on. I'll stay with her tonight."

Finally, he nodded reluctantly and padded out as she curled up in his vacant place beside Swiftpaw.

OOOoooOOO

Beechpaw bounded through the undergrowth, his Clanmates surging around him. As they crouched at the top of the slope leading to Fourtrees, the scent of the other three Clans washed over him. Beechpaw sat among his Clanmates, waiting with barely contained excitement for Spiritstar to give the signal, allowing them to pour down the slope to the Gathering.

It finally came, and as one they rose and leapt forward. As Beechpaw began weaving through the mass of bodies, he heard someone calling his name and turned to see Gorsepaw padding towards him.

"Where's Swiftpaw?" he asked, looking around eagerly, "There's something I wanted to tell her."

Beechpaw felt a strange burning in the pit of his stomach, and he said suspiciously, "She's back at camp." He considered telling him about the attack, but something stopped him.

Gorsepaw's face fell slightly, "Oh, never mind then."

Beechpaw narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, he heard the telltale howl to start the Gathering. He glared at Gorsepaw one last time before stalking forward to sit with Redstorm, Spottedchest, and Rabbitpup.

Emeraldstar stepped forward to speak, "ShadowClan has been bless this leaf-bare. We have had no sickness in our camp. We have a new warrior in Hawkpath, and a new deputy in Bonehunter."

There was the usual murmur of congratulations, and Beechpaw looked around to see Hawkpath sitting proudly next to a white male shepherd with a black chest. He assumed this was Bonehunter. Emeraldstar bowed her head slightly to Lionstar, signaling him to speak.

"WindClan also has a new warrior. Gorsepaw has become Gorsetail."

Another murmur, Beechpaw turned to see Gorsetail looking at him smugly. So that was what he'd wanted to tell Swiftpaw. He was trying to impress her for some reason. Beechpaw felt the same burning feeling in his stomach, but he ignored it and looked back at the Great Rock.

"We also have had a new littler of pups born." Lionstar finished, and then stepped back for Spiritstar to talk. Beechpaw wondered briefly what she would say about Beetlepaw and Swiftpaw.

She seemed to think for a moment before she spoke, "ThunderClan brings with us two new apprentices, Rabbitpaw and Graypaw." Rabbitpaw straightened up next to Beechpaw at this. Spiritstar continued, slightly hesitant, "ThunderClan have nothing else to report."

Beechpaw wasn't very surprised to hear this. They couldn't have the other Clans thinking they were weak; it would just bring them more trouble.

Rabbitpaw, however, burst out, "What does she mean? What about-"

She was quickly silenced by Spottedchest, who whispered, "I'll explain later."

Beechpaw looked around worriedly, but it didn't seem that anyone had heard or paid any attention to the apprentice. He relaxed slightly with this knowledge.

Little did he know of the dark smile slowly spreading across a certain dog's face.

A/N- Dun, Dun, Duuuuuuun! A few tiny hints in there about…stuff… Ok, so I have 16 chapters now, and 26 reviews. 6 more and that's twice as many reviews as chapters. I'll make a deal with you guys: If we hit that mark, I'll give everyone who reviewed the chance to give one of the dogs their warrior name! you don't have to do it now, it can be any dog at any time, and choose two, because people might pick the same dog, and I'd like to use at least one suggestion from everyone. So, with that present in mind, REVIEW!


	17. Joy and Dread

A/N- Yay! Three updates in three weeks! (or was it two in two weeks? Oh who really cares!!) Kind of short, but there's a lot of stuff that's gonna be happening in the next few chapters, and I have to figure out how to break it up to make sense.

Chapter 17- Joy and Dread

Disclaimer- I'm being completely serious when I say that in the span of a week I acquired the rights to Warriors! Yeah! In a dream I had last Tuesday!

"Let all those dogs old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

As Spiritstar's clear voice rang throughout the camp, Beechpaw felt his heart pound with excitement. When the last dog had arrived, Beechpaw rose, head high, and padded alongside Darkclaw to the base of the rock.

Spiritstar leapt down to meet them and spoke, "Darkclaw, are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior of ThunderClan?"

Darkclaw bowed his head and boomed, "He will make the Clan proud."

Spiritstar looked to Beechpaw and recited, "I, Spiritstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

Her blue eyes locked with Beechpaw's, "Beechpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Forcing his voice not to shake, Beechpaw replied, "I do."

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Beechpaw, from this moment you will be known as Beechclaw. StarClan honors your courage and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

She rested her muzzle on top of his head, and he gave her shoulder a respectful lick. He barely caught the gleam in her eyes before he was surrounded by his Clanmates congratulating him and calling his new name.

Despite the happy atmosphere, Beechclaw couldn't help but notice the one dog that wasn't crowding around him.

He looked towards the medicine den, remembering how Swiftpaw had once promised to be the first to call him by his warrior name. He sighed quietly, thinking once again of Beetlepaw, but as he took up his position in the center of the clearing, he felt a slight warmth despite the cold, late leaf-bare night.

OOOoooOOO

"Burningpelt!"

Beechclaw sprang awake as the cry filled the camp. Yawning, he stretched and padded out of the warriors' den just in time to see the medicine dog disappear into the nursery with Dreamsong right behind.

He wasn't too concerned, this was practically a ritual. A pup would get sick, a first-time queen would get worried, and they'd call Burningpelt. It rarely turned out to be worse than a slight cough.

He headed to the fresh-kill file and picked out a plump thrush, settling down on the nettle patch to eat it. He glanced up when Burningpelt reemerged carrying a small bundle.

He froze mid-bite, horrified. 'Please,' he begged silently, 'StarClan, anything but that!' and bolted after her.

OOOoooOOO

All was dark and peaceful.

Swiftpaw sat with her eyes closed in the silence. It calmed her, like a break in the storm.

Then the murmuring started again. Swiftpaw couldn't remember when it had first began, but it was almost always the same deep voice. There had been times when different voices had intervened, but no matter what she could never understand what they said.

Her eyes snapped open as she picked up on the urgency in the voice, as well as occasional words, "Swiftpaw…pup…sick…come back…"

The pleading words made Swiftpaw want to help, but a thought held her back. Did she really want to go back? To leave her calm sanctuary to go to a world filled with turmoil and hurt?

As she argued with herself, the voice grew steadily to a howl, accompanied by others.

"Swiftpaw…Swiftpaw…"

"Go…Go…"

"Leave it…Leave it…"

All at the same time, it was deafening. Squeezing her eyes shut, she just wished it would stop!

Just like that, all was quiet.

Swiftpaw's eyes flickered open to see the ThunderClan medicine den. She tried to lift herself to a sitting position but fell back with a groan as her side protested the movement.

"Swiftpaw!" a disbelieving voice cried, and Beechpaw appeared at her side, blue eyes sparkling with concern, "Thank StarClan you're awake." He said, "We've been so worried."

Confused, Swiftpaw stuttered, "Wha-what do you mean?"

"You were asleep for almost half a moon!"

"Half a moon!" she yelped, cringing as her side protested again, "well, how is everyone? Where are they? What's happened?"

"My warrior ceremony was last night." He replied proudly, "I'm Beechclaw now."

This made her feel guilty for not being there, and she was just about to congratulate him when an even worse thought ran through her head.

"Where's Hazelpup?" she demanded frantically. "The half-breeds must have her. What are we going to do?"

He quickly calmed her, telling her what he knew of the battle. He hesitated slightly afterwards, wondering if it was too soon to tell her.

She noticed and asked slowly, "Beechclaw, what aren't you telling me?"

Looking into her dark eyes, he finally gave up and stood silently, motioning for her to follow him. She did so, rather apprehensively, and he led her across the den, stopping by another nest.

Swiftpaw peered into it and felt her heart drop.

"No," she pleaded, staring in horror at the small, brindle pup shivering in the nest, nose and eyes streaming, "Not her."

A/N- I would have updated this over the weekend, but (surprise surprise!) my mom banned me from the computer, again. Oh well, it's up and hopefully you like it.

I was very happy about the reviews thing, and I will keep my promise. Scarflower (love that name by the way, it's like bittersweet, same concept), Skylaar Wolf, Aspenmist, EyeOfTheTiger (I'm not saying you have to do anything! Please don't feel like I'm pressuring you! I just mean that if you feel like naming her, you can!), Poisonfire-'Con-, and .o-Oceansong-xo (as you can see, I already used one of yours!) get to give warrior names! Yay!


	18. Trust

A/N- So sorry about the loooooong wait. I had SATs three weeks ago, so they couldn't give us homework, but then the next week they loaded us with it. Then last week they loaded us up because 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are all going away next week on different trips. It's a long story. Anyway, on to the fic.

Disclaimer- Don't own it.

Chapter 18- Trust

"It's greencough. A late bout was going around camp for a while."

"Have we lost any others?" Swiftpaw asked, gently nuzzling the still pup.

Beechclaw hesitated again, let out a deep sigh, and murmured, "Spiritstar lost a life, but she's the only one so far."

Swiftpaw closed her eyes for a moment, digesting the information, before she nodded curtly. They sat in silence until Beechclaw stood awkwardly and mumbled something about telling Burningpelt she was awake before hurrying off. Alone at last, Swiftpaw finally let the barrier around her heart fall. Letting out a painful breath, she crawled into the nest and curled her body protectively around its occupant.

Pressing her nose into the soft fur, she murmured, "Please don't die. Don't leave me. I'll do anything." She vowed, her voice breaking, "Hazelpup."

OOOoooOOO

"Swiftpaw…" a weak voice jolted her from her sleep.

"What is it Hazelpup?"

Hazelpup's dull hazel eyes were barely cracked open, and liquid was pouring freely from them and her nose.

"Will I-"

She was interrupted by a fit of coughing that shook her skeletal frame. Her ribs showed painfully under patchy brindle fur.

When the coughing finally subsided, she finished in a voice barely above a whisper, "Will I still get to be an apprentice?"

Swiftpaw hesitated. Hazelpup's apprentice ceremony should be in less than a moon, but it was unsure if she would even survive that long, much less if she would be strong enough to be named along with her sister.

Swiftpaw gazed sadly at the broken, defeated pup in front of her. She couldn't bring herself to give her any more bad news, so instead she merely forced a small smile and said, "Of course Hazelpup. Just get your rest for now."

Hazelpup seemed to brighten for a moment, and a small glimmer returned to her eyes. She then sighed contently and murmured, "Okay Swiftpaw," she yawned and closed her eyes, "Anything you say."

Swiftpaw waited a moment before she carefully stood and padded out of the den with a heavy heart.

As she crossed the clearing, she vaguely heard Spiritstar calling a meeting, but she ignored her and continued towards the apprentice den.

Leafpaw, however, stopped her just before she reached it and said, "Swiftpaw, where are you going? You can't miss the ceremony!"

"What?" Swiftpaw said rather stupidly before she remembered that it was Hawkpup and Dapplepup's apprentice ceremony today. It was just another thing to remind her of Hazelpup.

She shook herself mentally before muttering, "No, really. I'm pretty tired. I'm just gonna go."

"Oh come on Swiftpaw, please? It won't take that long! I don't want to sit alone!" Leafpaw begged, her green eyes round and pleading.

Swiftpaw sighed, cursing herself for being too soft with her sister, and heaved herself to her paws and followed Leafpaw through the crowd.

Dreamsong emerged from the nursery with Hawkpup and Dapplepup at her side. They walked slowly up to where Spiritstar was waiting for them at the base of the Highrock. Dreamsong slipped away and settled herself next to Braveheart as their pups stood before their leader.

Hawkpup's entire body quivered and his amber eyes were alight with excitement. Dapplepup, meanwhile, had an unusual air of calm. Her softly dappled coat shone in the sun, and her hazel eyes stared calmly into her leader's. The only thing that gave away her excitement was the flicker of her cream colored tail.

Spiritstar turned to Dapplepup first and began, "Dapplepup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Dapplepaw." She turned to the proud shepherd sitting behind Dapplepaw and continued," Fallenoak, you will mentor Dapplepaw. Please pass on all your loyalty and pride to this apprentice."

Fallenoak and Dapplepaw touched noses and moved to the side as Spiritstar turned to Hawkpup, who gave a tiny squeak and lashed his light brown tail in anticipation.

Spiritstar's eyes sparkled with mirth, and she couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice as she said, "Hawkpup, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Hawkpaw."

Someone's tail trailed up Swiftpaw's back, and she turned to see Beechclaw standing next to her. He had a knowing glint in his eyes, and she vaguely wondered why before she heard Spiritstar announce, "Beechclaw, you will mentor Hawkpaw. Please pass on all your skills to this apprentice."

Beechclaw padded up to touch noses with his apprentice, and Swiftpaw cheered along with her clanmates.

Then she raced up to him and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." He shrugged, "Besides you were with Hazelpup the entire time. I didn't get a chance to talk to you."

"Oh please," she retorted, shoving him with her shoulder, "You still could have told me! Hazelpup would've liked to know too."

Beechclaw nudged her back, his eyes alight with laughter before they darkened and he asked seriously, "How is she?"

Swiftpaw adverted her eyes quickly and murmured, "She's still here. That's about all that's certain."

Beechclaw opened his mouth to say something, but Swiftpaw cut him off, "I've got to go."

And she left him to watch sadly as she blindly sped away. Letting her paws guide her, Swiftpaw looked up, slightly surprised, as she entered the elders' den. Ravenwing looked up from a sparrow and smiled slightly as she came in.

"What do you need Swiftpaw?" Ravenwing asked.

Swiftpaw glanced nervously at Fleetwhisker as he growled softly in his sleep. Ravenwing caught the action and seemed to understand.

She glanced at the sky and said airily, "I feel like stretching my legs before bed. Care to join me?"

Swiftpaw nodded gratefully and padded out through the camp with Ravenwing at her side. They walked a little way away from camp and settled in a small clearing. Swiftpaw stalled, not really wanting to actually say what she'd come to say.

After what felt like an eternity, Ravenwing spoke slowly, "Its Hazelpup isn't it?"

Swiftpaw nodded miserably and confessed, "I'm scared Ravenwing. She trusts me so completely, but I can't bring myself to tell her the truth!" her voice rose slightly in pitch and finally broke, "She asked me-she asked me if she'd still have her ceremony, and I said yes! And she believed me! What if she doesn't survive Ravenwing? What if she dies and I lied to her?"

Swiftpaw was pacing frantically, and she turned, hanging her head, "What then?"

It was silent for a moment before Ravenwing rumbled, "We all die eventually, if you think about it."

Swiftpaw's head snapped up, and she looked, actually looked, at Ravenwing for the first time in a long time. Ravenwing's head was inclined towards Silverpelt and her eye held a glint of star shine in it. She was bathed in moonlight, which enhanced the many streaks of gray on her face and muzzle, causing her coat to appear an eerie silver.

She continued, "Whether it's in battle, or from sickness, or something else, we all die. Some are just sooner than others. They're lucky. They never have to feel the pain of losing the ones they love."

She dipped her head, eye closed, and they sat in stunned silence.

Finally, Ravenwing opened her eye and said, "It's getting late. They'll be worried about us back at camp."

Swiftpaw jumped and agreed quickly. They were nearing the ravine when Ravenwing suddenly broke down in a harsh fit of coughing.

"Ravenwing," Swiftpaw yelped, alarmed, "Not you too!"

When she recovered, Ravenwing soother, her voice raspy, "Shh, I'm fine. It's just a cough. Now get some sleep, you're worrying far too much."

Unable to argue, Swiftpaw hesitantly made her way to the apprentices' den. As she curled up in her nest, however, she couldn't help picturing Hazelpup, young and weak, and Ravenwing, much older but still just as vulnerable.

A/N- Anyway, I didn't realize just how evil I was being until about two days ago when I realized I still hadn't told you who was sick. Sorry about that. Also sorry for any grammar/spelling/mistakes in general. I'm leaving for Washington, D.C. at 5 a.m. tomorrow, and I wanted to get this up first, so I wouldn't leave you hanging for yet another week. I'll try to get another chapter written and updated next weekend, but we have this giant scrapbook assignment that might take all weekend to do. Scratch that, it probably will take all weekend. Anyway, I realize that I deserve any yelling you want to do, but please R&R nonetheless.


	19. ShadowClan

A/N- 10 performances, giant project, school, another giant project, writing LJ oneshot, practice for dance recital, dress shopping, finals, graduation, procrastination: just a few of the things that prevented me from writing. I won't bore you with the whole list.

Disclaimer- No, just, just…no

Chapter 19- ShadowClan

"Swiftpaw! Swiftpaw!" Leafpaw's voice broke the still morning air and summoned her sister out of the apprentice den. Ignoring the grumbles of the half-asleep Hawkpaw, the excited shepherd continued loudly, "Swiftpaw I'm going on the sunhigh patrol today! And Spiritstar is coming! You know what that means!"

Leafpaw was too excited to notice the momentary look of sadness in Swiftpaw's eyes. It was gone in the blink of an eye, and Swiftpaw replied in a falsely cheery voice, "That's great Leafpaw!"

Leafpaw nodded and pranced away with her tail waving in the air.

Once she was out of sight, Swiftpaw allowed her shoulders and head to slump forward. "Left behind again." She whispered to the ground.

She started slightly when a voice behind her said grumpily, "So Leafpaw is going to become a warrior? Maybe we'll finally have some peace and quiet in the den."

She turned and saw Hawkpaw speaking. He was still rumpled from Leafpaw's rather rude awakening.

Dapplepaw padded up behind her brother and cuffed him playfully over the ear, "Be nice. She's just excited. I know I would be if it were me."

"Well it's not you, and it won't be for a long time. Not until you can beat me!" Hawkpaw retorted, crouching down and then leaping on top of her. Swiftpaw shook her head wistfully as this resulted in a full-fledged scuffle.

She turned as she sensed someone padding up to her. Jewelpool sat next to her and, not taking her eyes off the scuffling apprentices, said, "I heard what Leafpaw said."

"Who didn't?" Swiftpaw joked.

"I remember what it was like being the last apprentice in my group. I don't have to tell you that it stinks. But don't worry, you'll be a warrior soon enough."

Swiftpaw just stared at her for a moment, wondering how she could have possibly known exactly what she had been thinking.

"Anyway," Jewelpool continued, finally turning to her, "I'm taking Rabbitpaw out hunting for Spottedchest. Care to come along?"

Swiftpaw nodded slowly, "Thanks Jewelpool."

The shepherd merely shrugged, "What are friends for?"

OOOoooOOO

Swiftpaw dashed out of her covering under a hazel bush just as the rabbit bounded past. She leaped on top of it and quickly finished it with a bite to the neck.

Rabbitpaw slowed to a stop beside her, panting heavily. She gasped, "Good catch Swiftpaw. It was just too quick for me."

Swiftpaw shrugged, "Its okay. Even some warriors have trouble outrunning a quick rabbit like this one."

Jewelpool trotted out of the undergrowth towards them with a vole in her mouth, she dropped it and began, "You put up a-"

She suddenly froze, scenting the air. The shepherd's eyes narrowed, and she whispered, "Rabbitpaw, go get help."

Rabbitpaw looked bewildered, "But what-"

"ShadowClan." Jewelpool growled, the hair along her spine beginning to rise.

Rabbitpaw's eyes widened and she bounded back towards camp.

Swiftpaw nodded curtly to Jewelpool and they strode through the undergrowth towards the intruders.

A few fox lengths from the border, they found Bonehunter, Hawkpath, and three other warriors leaving scent marks.

Furious, Jewelpool called, "Bonehunter! What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?"

Bonehunter turned his blood red eyes on her and let out a laugh that was more like a growl, "What does it matter?" he taunted, "ThunderClan is too weak to defend its borders. You're too preoccupied with the half-breeds and sickness in camp. Tut tut, you really should teach your apprentices to keep their mouths shut."

Jewelpool looked as though she would fly at the deputy's throat any minute, but Swiftpaw knew they had to keep them talking until help arrived, so she snarled, "You have no right to be here. Now slink back to the dark hole in the ground that you came from, before we have to beat you back."

Hawkpath sneered, "You're one to talk half-breed. You don't belong in this forest any more than your filthy kin do."

Swiftpaw bristled instantly, digging her claws into the ground. Bonehunter bared his teeth in a snarl, "You talk tough, now let's see if you've got the guts to follow up." With that he lunged at Jewelpool. The fight was on.

Swiftpaw skidded out of the way just as Hawkpath lunged at her. She raced past him, scoring her claws down his side in the process. However, her way was blocked by another dog. He jumped on her, pinning her to the ground with his weight. She struggled desperately, clawing any part of him that she could reach and pummeling his stomach with her hind paws.

Just as she thought he would win, the dog yelped and leapt off of her with something white clinging to his back. Swiftpaw realized with a jolt that it was Rabbitpaw! She quickly attacked the dog again, helping Rabbitpaw send him yelping off into the woods. Looking around the clearing, she noticed that Hawkpath had run off. She saw Redstorm and Leafpaw battling two other dogs side by side.

Looking beyond them, Swiftpaw watched as Spiritstar and Bonehunter battled fiercely. Both were merciless as they slashed at the other. The area they were fighting in was covered in blood, though Swiftpaw was unsure whose.

As she watched, Bonehunter landed a paralyzing blow to the side of her mentor's head. Weakened as she was by her recent sickness, Spiritstar stumbled and fell. Within moments Bonehunter was on her. Swiftpaw desperately scrambled towards her leader. She leapt savagely at Bonehunter, surprising him.

Landing squarely on top of him, Swiftpaw latched her jaw onto the back of his neck and ripped her claws into his back and shoulders. The deputy scrambled and rolled, crushing her into the ground with all his might, but she refused to let go. Finally, he tore himself from her hold, losing a large chunk of skin and fur from his neck in the process.

Bleeding and defeated, he stumbled out off towards the border, calling the remaining two dogs as he went. Swiftpaw stood glaring at the bushes, shoulders tense, panting heavily, her jaw still clenched around the deputy's missing fur and skin. She whipped around and snarled when someone laid their tail across her shoulders.

She was met with Leafpaw's wide, green eyes. With a jolt she realized that her sister's eyes were filled with fear. She was afraid _of her_. Swiftpaw's eyes softened and she blinked as her fur laid flat and her breathing returned to normal.

She spat out Bonehunter's fur as Leafpaw soothed her, "Calm down. They're gone. You did well."

Swiftpaw looked around and saw Redstorm helping Jewelpool limp from the bushes, her white fur stained red and her blue eyes glazed in pain. Rabbitpaw was gently nuzzling Spiritstar's side, but it was no use. Their leader was dead.

Swiftpaw almost collapsed as she walked on shaky legs towards her mentor. She was silent for a moment before glancing at Redstorm and asking the question that was burning on her mind, "How many lives does she have left?"

The setter looked at her sadly and replied softly, "One."

OOOoooOOO

"Swiftpaw, I'm fine. You shouldn't be so concerned."

Swiftpaw quickly switched her gaze back to the ground as Spiritstar shook her head slightly. Swiftpaw had been watching her every move the entire walk back to camp as though she thought her leader would collapse at any moment. Her gaze had just wandered slowly back to her leader when she heard a gasp from Jewelpool.

"What's wrong?" Swiftpaw asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Blood, and lots of it." Redstorm replied darkly.

They followed the trail through the undergrowth. Swiftpaw's heart sunk when she realized that they never once had to alter from their course to the camp. Her fears were confirmed when they arrived at the gorse tunnel to find the camp strangely hushed. No sound of pups whimpering in the nursery, no sound of apprentices scuffling, nothing.

She stepped forward and glanced at Leafpaw before ducking through the tunnel. She found the Clan gathered in the clearing, all wearing sober expressions. Her gaze found the body in the middle of the circle and her blood ran cold as she saw fur brindle fur. Then she realized that the dog was much too big to be Hazelpup and calmed down considerably.

Spiritstar, however, let out a mix between a whine and a growl and rushed forward. Swiftpaw padded up next to her and finally identified the fallen warrior through the bloody fur. She heard a whimper next to her and instinctively wrapped her tail around Hazelpup, pulling her close. She then looked up into Beechclaw's grief filled eyes, but she could think of nothing to help him.

Only time would heal the wound left behind, as Darkclaw joined StarClan.

A/N- eh, not quite as good as I wanted it to be, but oh well. Sorry for any mistakes, I really wanted to get this up, because if I hadn't I wouldn't have had time for another week, and that would put me at 2 months since the last update, and that's just WAAAAAY too long. Okay to one month is terrible too, but I'm sorry.

I did however finish the epilogue, so I know where I'm going, now getting there's the problem. Oh well. Just know I'm trying and it's FINALLY SUMMER BREAK!! CELEBRATE!!


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